Marchin' On
by christmasinacup
Summary: Sequel to Breathe: It's been 3 years since Joan and Arthur had a child and they're still dealing with how to balance work and family. When drama at work makes their lives more complicated,  Joan just might consider leaving the CIA to focus more on family.
1. Chapter 1

Here it is, the sequel to Breathe! For title inspiration, I went with another song, this time Marchin' On by OneRepublic. I think it fits Arthur and Joan pretty well, at least the way I view them. If Joan's a bit OOC, it's all for good reasons. It's 1 am as I post this and I've been working on this for days, just had to get it out there! Please give feedback, it is truly appreciated!

I asked all of you guys your opinion on a time jump, but then I got inspired by Kari Matchett when she's a mom on Invasion, and I went with that. There will be flashbacks to when the baby is a newborn throughout the story, I promise. And I didn't want to make half the dialogue nonsensical baby-talk, so hopefully Joan's daughter isn't too vocally developed for her age. I'm gonna try my hardest to balance family stuff with CIA drama. Overall, I hope you guys enjoy the sequel.

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><p>I relaxed into a lawn chair in the spacious backyard of the large suburban home Arthur and I had lived in for close to 10 years. And, as of 3 years ago, the house had a third member. Serena Anne Campbell, our daughter, had been born in March three years ago, and had become the center of our lives. Auggie often joked that she was the most well protected child in Virginia, due to her two high-profile CIA parents, when he came by every Sunday afternoon. And I liked it that way. I had never thought of the possibility of having children until I got pregnant with Serena. The emotional rollercoaster had been a hell of a ride, but every day I couldn't believe I had this wonderful blessing in my life. Being pregnant had caused me to reevaluate my life, and my job. It had been a welcome, and practically necessary change.<p>

Things definitely had changed at the CIA in the last 3 years. Shortly after Serena was born, Jai took off for another rotation in London. He had had enough of people's talk and attitudes towards his father and what Henry had done. Reva, who had very briefly done Auggie's job, was now doing most of the running around in the field with Annie. Auggie had been flirting with the idea of being OCA for months, but was still hesitant. Arthur had managed to hold on to his DCS job, and I been offered a promotion, but had turned it down in favor of making sure I was home enough for Serena.

I watched my baby run around the backyard, the skirt of her pink dress fluttering in the breeze.

"Mommy!"

I brought my hand up to my face to shade my eyes. Serena was giggling and jumping around.

"What is it, baby?"

"Come seeee!"

I laughed and slid off the lawn chair, dropping to my hands and knees on the fresh green grass. I crawled a few feet towards Serena and gave her a big grin.

"What?"

She pointed up at a thick branch of the tree a few feet a way, in the right-hand corner of the backyard.

"Can we build a treehouse? Pleeeaaase?"

I laughed and pulled her into my lap, stroking her fine blonde hair. She had my hair, but she had her father's piercing blue eyes.

"We'll ask daddy when he gets home, ok?" Arthur and I had gotten lucky with our schedules. I left early on Fridays and had weekends off, and Arthur came home early (relatively) on Saturdays and went in a few hours later on Sundays. For the first year after Serena was born, I only worked 7 or 8 hours a day on week days, and I had been thinking a lot lately about resuming that schedule now that Serena was more perceptive.

"K. Can we make cookies?"

"Sure, baby," I said, picking her up and walking back towards the house. I planted a kiss on the top of her head.

"Chocolate chip or oatmeal?"

"Chocochip!"

I balanced Serena on my hip as I opened the sliding glass door, entering the house. Walking through the hallway to the kitchen, I heard my cell phone ring. I sat Serena down on the kitchen counter and told her not to move, then I rushed to the couch and picked up my phone.

"Joan Campbell."

Serena giggled. For some reason, she found it hilarious to hear me referred to anything but "mommy."

"Joan? It's Auggie. I want to talk to you about something."

"Okay-"

"Who is it?," Serena shouted from the kitchen. "Is it daddy?"

"No, it's Uncle Auggie," I called back, covering the receiver. "Give me a second, sweetie."

"Sorry about that," I said to Auggie. "She wants her daddy to build her a treehouse."

Auggie laughed. "She keeps her eye on the prize and never gives up. Like mother, like daughter."

I smiled. "Do you want to come by and talk?"

"Yeah. I'll have Annie drop me off."

I exhaled. "Great. I'd offer to come pick you up, but I kind of have my hands full."

"Totally understandable. See you guys soon."

I went back into the kitchen and put my hands on my hips. I grinned at Serena, who was staring out the window.

"Okay, baby. Let's get out the chocolate chips."

About an hour later, the doorbell rang. Serena abandoned her crayons and paper on the coffee table and ran to the door.

"I wanna get it!"

I was in the middle of pulling the freshly baked cookies out of the oven. I placed them gently on the counter, then slipped off my oven mitts and ran after her. She was reaching for the doorknob but couldn't reach it, so I reached out and helped her open the door.

"Uncle Auggie!"

He laughed and bent down, then held his hands out, allowing Serena to step into them. She gripped his arms tightly and he lifted her up, holding her close to him. Besides me and Arthur, Auggie was the person Serena trusted the most in her life. She understood he couldn't see her, but that was as far as her knowledge of blind people went.

I waved to Annie.

"Do you want to come in?," I yelled to Annie. As Serena's godmother, Annie was a regular fixture at our house, almost as much as Auggie. Between watching Serena and playing with her nieces, Annie was set up to be the perfect mother, when her time came.

"No, but thanks," she yelled back. "I have dinner with my sister! But say hi to Serena for me!"

I nodded and watched her little red car drive down the street and turn the corner. When I closed the door and turned back around, Serena was showing Auggie her half-finished drawing excitedly.

"Hey Auggie," I said, wiping my hands on my white cotton sundress. He looked in my direction and grinned.

"Hey. It smells good in here, did you guys make cookies?"

"Yes!," Serena squealed. "You want a chocochip cookie, Uncle Auggie?"

"Sounds good, kiddo," He said. Serena jumped up and took off for the kitchen. Auggie and I laughed, and I grabbed his arm and led him to the kitchen. I handed Serena a cookie off the sheet and bent down so I was at her eye level.

"Honey, Uncle Auggie and I need to talk. Do you want to watch a movie?"

"Ok!"

I sat her down in front of The Little Mermaid and then returned to the kitchen. Auggie was eating a cookie with a grin on his face.

"Sorry, stuff gets a little hectic around here," I apologized, biting into a cookie.

"You manage it pretty well. The DPD is running smoothly as ever, you make it home by 7 every night, your daughter adores you, and you still have time to make a mean cookie."

I laughed. "It's harder than it looks."

We were silent for a minute. "What did you want to talk about?," I asked him.

He cleared his throat. "The OCA job. I know I didn't want it, and I know when they offered it to you, you choose not to accept it. "

"Yes, that's right," I nodded.

"Well, my feelings about it have sort of changed. I really want the opportunity to do more in the field, but I don't think that's going to happen. And Arthur came to me again about the job. I just want to know what's left for me in the DPD."

I sighed. "Honestly, not much. Though you are an excellent operative and you're proved to me that you can do fieldwork, not everyone who I report to agrees with me. Do you want my opinion?"

"Always."

"Take the OCA job. Three years ago you were the perfect candidate, and you still are. Paxton, the guy who's doing it now, knows he wasn't the first choice and probably would prefer to be training everyone over at The Farm."

Auggie smiled. "You always give the best advice."

"Thanks. And I know you're worried about Annie, but don't be. She's your best friend, she will understand."

"And you read minds," Auggie laughed. I started to laugh, but it turned into a yawn. A large yawn.

"Tired?," Auggie asked.

"Exhausted. And it's only…" I looked at the clock on the microwave. "… 5:15." Suddenly, an idea dawned on me. "Hey Auggie, want a drink?"

"Yes, please!"

I grabbed Auggie a beer from the fridge and poured myself a glass of white wine. Unfortunately, the quiet, peaceful atmosphere in the kitchen did not last too long.

"Mommmmy!" Serena came running in from the living room. "What are you making for dinner?"

She snuggled herself into Auggie's lap and looked up at me with bright and expectant eyes. I took another sip from wineglass and sighed.

"Mommy's not making dinner tonight, sweetie. I was thinking we could order a pizza."

A grin spread across her face of obvious pleasure. She slid out of Auggie's lap and started to skip around the kitchen, singing, "Pizza, pizza, pizzzza." She stopped for a second to ask, "Can Uncle Auggie stay?"

"Yes, I can stay as long as you want," Auggie said to Serena, smiling at me. I smiled back. Serena gave a little squeal of excitement and then continued singing. I took out the number for the pizza place and went to grab the phone.

"Auggie, what kind of pizza do you like? We usually just order cheese, Serena is in a phase where she isn't very open to new foods. Arthur sometimes likes pepperoni, but I don't know where he is…."

Auggie stood up and held his hand put to me. "Slow down there, Super Mom. You dial the number, I'll call and order. You can set Serena up in front of another movie and call Arthur."

I smiled. "Sounds perfect."

I found Serena at the coffee table, drawing a pizza with a bright yellow crayon. I ran my fingers over the spines of the dvds sitting next to the tv. My fingers stopped randomly on Alice in Wonderland, so I popped that in. Serena's focus immediately switched from her drawing to the tv, and I placed a kiss on the top of her head. I could hear Auggie on the phone with the pizza place in the kitchen, so I picked up my cell phone and went upstairs to the bedroom.

"Hello?"

"Hey Arthur, it's me. "

"Joan! Oh, it's good to hear your voice."

"Work that bad?," I asked sympathetically.

"Yes. Bill is either an asshole in general, or an asshole because he's been campaigning for the OCA job for quiet some time and I still refuse to give it to him. The crap I get for holding out for the one guy who can do the job well is ridiculous."

"Well, you want to talk to Auggie when you get home. Speaking of which, when will you be home?"

"Wait, I'm a little confused. Is Auggie at our house?"

"Yes, he came by to talk, and I invited him over for dinner."

"Good, because I probably won't be home til 8. Maybe a little after."

"Arthur! Serena really wants to see you, and you know her bedtime is 7:30."

"Joan, I'm sorry. Things are just a bit hectic here."

I put my available hand on my forehead and rubbed my temples. I sighed.

"Ok. I'll see you when you get home."

"I love you."

"I love you too," I whispered as I hung up. I took a deep breath and exhaled. I could hear Serena explaining the movie in detail to Auggie and I didn't want to go downstairs and tell her that daddy wouldn't be home for dinner. It was important to me that Serena not be one of those kids who gets used to her parents coming home late every night, not being around often. My heart always sank a little when I came home on weeknights to relieve her nanny. At least I got to take her to preschool in the morning before work.

I sank down onto the bed, tired and upset. It reminded me of another time, just a month after Serena was born. She had the most awful sleeping pattern, which meant I basically lived in sweats, getting in 30 minutes of sleep whenever I could. It was 11 pm, and I had just put her back to sleep when I heard Arthur's car in the driveway. I just sat on the edge of our bed and waited, not bothering to hide my frustration and exhaustion. He had come in, taken one look at me, and seen the scowl on my face.

"What did I do?"

"It's what you didn't do, Arthur. This is the third time this week you've gotten home after 9. I can't do this all by myself."

"Joan, you know how difficult work can be."

"Is it more important than family? Because I've been sleeping for an hour or so at every available moment, handling a newborn baby all on my own, and you've been schmoozing politicians on the golf course and sitting in your office telling people what to do all day."

"Dammit, Joan, that is not true."

Tears were flowing freely down my face at that point, but I didn't care. "My understanding when I got pregnant was that we were going to cut back on work and be a family. You were excited then. Has the novelty worn off for you?," I had snapped cruelly.

Arthur had just stared at me with wide eyes. I had never been this much of a bitch to him, even when I had the right to. When we fought, I often got angry with him, but I was never _mean_. I cried harder, but did not apologize. He walked over to the bed and sat next to me, putting his arm around my shoulder. He kissed my cheek and stroked my hair, letting me cry.

"I-I can't do this alone, Arthur. I just can't."

"You won't, I promise. I'll give some of my work to Jai, whatever's in his clearance level. And I'll be home as soon as I can. Ok?"

I had nodded and started to wipe tears away. Arthur kissed me again and got up to take his suit off. I had fallen asleep soon after, only to wake up to a note that said, "Went it early so I could come home early." And he kind of did. He came home at 8 that night.

A ringing doorbell startled me out of my thoughts. I grabbed my wallet off my nightstand and hurried down the stairs, knowing I had seconds before Serena started to yell for me. I opened the front door, took the pizza and paid the guy.

"Who's hungry?"

2 hours later, Serena had said goodnight to me and Auggie and I tucked her into bed. She craned her neck up to my face and rubbed her nose against mine. She called it a "smokiss," because she couldn't say eskimo too well. I grinned and kissed her cheek.

"Goodnight, baby. I love you."

"I love you more, mommy!," she piped up as I turned her bedroom light off. I went back downstairs and sat down next to Auggie on the couch.

"I'm sorry Arthur isn't home yet, he usually is by now. I can give you a ride if you want…"

"No," Auggie said firmly. "You need to rest. I'll be fine, I can call a cab."

I frowned. "No, you shouldn't have to do that."

"It's fine. Besides, do I really want to be here when Arthur gets home?"

I laughed. "It depends. If you're in the mood for one of our regular arguments about work schedules…"

"Nope, I'm good," Auggie said immediately. I laughed again.

"Ok, I'll call a cab. But let me at least pay for it."

Auggie raised his hands in mock surrender. "Fine. You win."

I called a cab and handed him a few bills from my wallet. He held his hand out, and led him to the door.

"Thanks for coming over today, Auggie," I said, hugging him. "You're a really good influence on Serena."

He hugged back. "Thanks. She's a great little girl."

I nodded and opened the door. "Your cab is here. Goodnight."

He squeezed my hand. "Goodnight, Joan."

After Auggie left, I went upstairs and put on my nightgown. I stared at the clock. 9:02. I wasn't even mad at Arthur right now. I just missed him. It was Saturday. He was usually home by 6, and we all had dinner together.

"Joan?"

I froze and turned around. Arthur was standing in our bedroom doorway with an apologetic look on his face and a bouquet of roses in his hand. I slammed my hand over my heart, which was beating rapidly.

"Holy shit, Arthur, you scared me!," I whispered. He came up to me and kissed me, and I kissed back, confused and upset as I was. He handed me the roses.

"I'm so sorry I missed bedtime, and that I couldn't give Auggie a ride," he said, looking deep into my eyes. I sighed.

"Arthur, I just don't want her to get used to you working late every night."

"I know. And unfortunately, you're not gonna like what I have to say. There's a meeting Monday morning. You, me, Paxton, and the DNI."

I rubbed my eyes. "Shit. Why?"

"He won't tell me," Arthur said, a hint of anger in his voice. "So I told him I'm not coming in until noon tomorrow."

A smile slowly crept onto my face. "Really?"

"Really," he nodded, undoing his tie. He changed into sweatpants and a t-shirt, then we got in bed. I leaned over and kissed him for a very long time.

"I love you, Arthur."

"I love you too."


	2. Chapter 2

Did you guys _see_ Covert Affairs last night? That was some seriously needed and well appreciated Joan and Arthur love :) And some epic ass-kicking from Joan. As usual, read, review, and enjoy! :)

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><p>I had fallen asleep in Arthur's arms, but when I woke up, Serena had wiggled herself in between us. I smiled and kissed her cheek affectionately. Her little chest moved up and down as she slept. Recently, she had been waking up early and crawling into our bed, then falling back asleep.<p>

Arthur opened his eyes and looked at me, then looked down at the little lump in the bed. He grinned at me, put a finger to his lips, and then started to tickle her. Serena awoke with a shriek.

"Daddy!"

She was giggling and squealing, twisting around on the bed. I joined in, tickling her and kissing her stomach. Finally, we stopped and Serena snuggled into her father's lap.

"You missed it, Daddy! Uncle Auggie came over and we had pizza!"

"I'm sorry, sweetie," Arthur said, ruffling her hair. "If I make you pancakes for breakfast, will you forgive me?"

"Yes!," Serena yelped enthusiastically. She grabbed Arthur's hand and slid off the bed, pulling him after her. She held out her other hand to me.

"C'mon, mommy!"

I got out of bed and took Serena's other hand. We walked downstairs as she explained her need for a treehouse to Arthur to the best of her ability. He gave me a look that said,_ What do I do?_ I smiled and whispered, "Good luck."

The rest of Sunday went perfectly. We ate breakfast, and Serena and Arthur played with a Nerf football in the backyard all morning while I watched from my lawn chair. When noon came, Arthur surprised me by calling the Agency and saying he wasn't coming in for the rest of the day unless it was urgent. And that made Serena, and me, very happy.

But, unfortunately Monday morning had to come. I dressed Serena for preschool and dressed myself in my most professional black cap-sleeve dress. Arthur was on the phone all morning, and he left almost an hour before Serena and I did. When I dropped her off at school I decided it would be good to tell her Arthur and I would be home late, just in case that meeting got…..complicated.

I pulled into my parking spot next to Arthur's car at 10 am. When I stepped into the DPD, I headed straight to Auggie's office.

"Joan?"

I laughed. "Damn, Auggie, how do you do that?"

"Trade secret," he said with a grin, turning his head towards me. "How may I help you?"

"I have a meeting with Arthur, the DNI, and the current OCA, can you keep everything running smoothly here?"

"You bet. Did you tell him about our talk?"

"Yes, he wants to talk with you later. "

"Great. Have a good meeting."

I gave a small laugh. "Right."

I dropped my bag and coat off in my office, went to the Starbucks kiosk for a double latte, and then headed for Arthur's office. I smiled, thinking of how I was going to tell him how fantastic he was becoming at being a father to Serena. But the grave and serious look on his face when he opened the door wiped the smile right off my face.

"Arthur? What's wrong?" I looked past him into his office and saw Steve Donovan, the DNI, and James Paxton, the current OCA. They had the same expression on their faces. Arthur took my hand and closed the office door behind us. We sat down and Steve watched me intently. He cleared his throat.

"Joan, this meeting was just going to be a basic debriefing, but we've reached a level of urgency. For the past month, we've been tracking a dangerous British chemical weapons expert and his team. We had a plan to turn him, use him to lure out his contacts, but last night, we ran into a…..problem."

"A problem?," I asked carefully. "Should I be worried?"

"His name is Jon Zura, and he was holed up in the Bronx, but we have reason to believe he's on the move, and heavily armed. So is his gang," Arthur cut in, handing me a photo. I stared at him, attempting to keep the anxiety out of my eyes.

"You didn't answer my question."

Steve, Arthur, and Paxton all exchanged a look.

"He escaped and is extremely dangerous. He killed three of our guys and we don't think he'd hesitate to kill some more. We don't where he is, but we need to find him. We want to put as many operatives on him as we can. We need all hands on deck to catch this son of a bitch before innocent people get hurt," Steve said, eyeing me carefully. "And unfortunately, we don't really know what he's planning."

I stared at him in alarm. He had just confirmed my worst fears. There was someone dangerous and unpredictable loose in the US, and he had a simple way to take care of people he didn't want around: killing them. I looked at Arthur. He reached out and pulled me to him, pressing my back up against his chest.

"Gentlemen, I'm going to ask you to give me and Joan a minute. Come back in an hour, and we'll start to coordinate an operation to catch this guy."

They both nodded and left the room. I turned to face Arthur fearfully.

"Is this all true?"

"Unfortunately, yes."

"What are we going to do? What if he comes here?," I asked, my brain going into overdrive. I felt panicked. My face started to heat up. "Oh god, what about Serena? Is it safe for her?"

Arthur stroked my hair soothingly. "Joan, I'm going to give you a choice to opt out of this whole thing. I'll put Jai in charge of the DPD part of this whole thing, and you can take some time off. I don't want you to feel at risk in any way, and I refuse to put you in danger."

"And let you do this on your own? No way in hell am I letting you do this without me," I said furiously. "Wait… Jai is in London."

"As of tomorrow, he'll be here. He's coming back to help us with this guy, Jai tracked him in London for the last 5 months. We don't know what this guy is planning, but it may only effect the government. We have no reason to believe our family and friends are in danger, yet."

"Yet," I repeated, exhaling. "I'll be here, right by your side. We'll get this taken care of," I said firmly. "This son of a bitch isn't slipping away."

Arthur grinned. "There she is."

"I would love to stay and chat, but I to debrief my division," I said with a sparkle in my eye, taking a folder from Arthur's hand.

"We'll talk later," Arthur said to my back as I left the room. "Dinner at 8?"

I laughed and turned around. "If you're lucky."

When I returned to the DPD, I went into my office and closed the door. As I flipped through the folder, it was made clear to me how hard it was going to be to catch this guy. I sank down onto the couch. I was trying to take deep, calming breaths when someone knocked on my door.

"Come in."

"Joan. You haven't changed a bit."

I looked up and saw Jai standing in my doorway with that devilish gleam in his eyes. I stood up.

"Jai. I thought you weren't coming back until tomorrow."

He stepped forward. "Well, I came back a day early. I already know this guy, and Arthur instructed me to help you in any way I can."

"All right, good. Well, I need to call my daughter's babysitter and tell her she needs to stay late tonight, and then we will go debrief everyone else in the DPD."

Jai laughed, eyeing the drawing of me as a princess Serena had drawn when she was two that hung behind my desk. "You're so _domesticated_ now. Suburban house wife, juggling her kid and work."

I couldn't tell if he meant that in a bad way or a good way, but I figured good parenting was a sore spot for him, given the situation between him and his father. I lifted my chin defiantly. "I like being domesticated. And I love my daughter."

Jai put his hands up, as if signaling surrender.

"Hey, I think it's good."

I eyed him. I never really believed anything Jai said, but Arthur had placed his trust in Jai, and I trusted Arthur. "Ok. Here, read this." I handed him the folder. "Anyone see you?"

"I don't think so."

"You read, I'll make my call. Then it's go time."

Jai sat down on the couch and read while I called Chrissy, Serena's babysitter. When I hung up, Jai was already standing by my door. I held out my hand for the folder and told him round everyone up in the conference room.

"Here's what we know," I addressed the room full of DPD operatives. "Jon Zura is a British chemical weapons expert with a lot of experience and talent. 4 years ago, he went rouge from his company and is now working with a major European arms cell."

Jai clicked the little remote and Zura's picture popped up on the large screen behind me. His features were smooth, and his eyes cold and calculating.

"He and his gang were holed up in the Bronx, NY, but he's on the move and heavily armed. A team of operatives went to turn him a few days ago, and he killed three of them. He's extremely dangerous and we don't know what his plan is. Chatter from Poland is indicating he might be building a bomb. A large one. If this takes a terrorist turn, Homeland Security will be involved. But for now, he is under our jurisdiction," I finished, looking around the room at everyone's worried faces. I sighed.

"Listen, I know this is hard. But we need all hands on deck to get this guy. Jai will be coordinating a team to go into the field and search for him, and Auggie and the tech division are working on tracking him through satellite and any trail Zura may have left behind."

The agents in the room were nodding, starting conversations with each other. I saw Annie grip Auggie's arm as she whispered to him. He couldn't see the fear displayed on her face, but by his soothing tone it was obvious he could hear it.

"Annie?"

She looked up at me.

"My office," I said, signaling for her to follow me. She squeezed Auggie's hand and got up to follow me. Once we were inside my office, I closed the door and sat down on the couch, motioning for her to sit with a wave of my hand. She joined me and we sat in silence for a few moments. I took her hand in mine and squeezed it, a gesture she had used to calm me down whenever I had my emotional pregnancy breakdowns.

"Annie, I know it seems scary, but you don't have to go out in the field."

Annie bit her lip. "I know. It's just….I've never heard of anything like this happening at the CIA."

I considered this. "It is rare. But we'll get him."

Annie nodded. "Well, if you think we can do it, that's comforting."

"Good," I gave her a tiny smile. "We all need some comfort right now."

I glanced at the picture on my desk of Arthur, Serena, and I on her third birthday a few weeks ago. It sat next to the picture of Arthur and I gazing into each other's eyes that I always looked at when I got stressed. One look at my daughter's picture motivated me to get going. I stood up.

"Annie, you ready to get to work?"

She nodded her head furiously. "Let's catch him."

The clock read 8:45 when I was at a good enough stopping point to go home. More than 2 hours after I usually got home. I called Arthur in his office and told him I was heading home. I didn't bother arguing when he said he was staying. On my way out, I ran into Auggie, who was carrying 2 large coffee cups.

"Hey, Auggie. Need a hand with the door?," I asked, holding the DPD door open long enough for him to walk through. He grinned.

"Joan! Heading home?"

I eyed the paper cups of coffee in his hands. "Yes. And you're staying here?"

"Yep. Annie and I need caffeine to power through at least 2 more hours."

I laughed. "You two better be at your respective homes before 10 pm. I don't want any of you guys getting burnt out too quickly."

"Yes, ma'am," Auggie chuckled, walking towards his tech office. "Say 'hi' to Serena for me!"

I laughed and walked out of the CIA at a hurried pace. Serena. She would be so upset that I wasn't there to say goodnight. I was actually surprised that I hadn't gotten a call from her babysitter about her refusing to go to sleep. That happened last time I came home this late. I pulled into the driveway and saw the light in Serena's bedroom window was off and prayed she was asleep.

"Hello?," I whispered as I entered the house. I dropped my purse on the entry table and hung my coat up in the hall closet. I turned around and jumped, my heart racing.

"Oh my god!"

Serena was sitting on the couch, holding her blankie and looking up at me, her blue eyes filled with tears.

"Mommyyy-"

Just before she burst into tears, Chrissy came running in. She was an attractive brunette in her mid twenties who was amazing with kids. I had gotten her name from a fellow agent at the CIA who retired last year to spend more time with her children.

"Joan, I am so sorry. She refused to go to bed and when I called Arthur's cell he said you two were very busy and would be home as soon as you could. He said it would be late and to not worry about trying to get her to bed."

"It's ok," I reassured her. I handed her a check. "Thank you. It may be like this for the rest of the week." She thanked me and left. I turned around and saw Serena still sitting on the couch, tears running down her face quietly. I ran to the couch and held her in my arms.

"I'm sorry, baby." I kissed her hair. "I am so, so sorry."

Serena hiccupped. "It was scary. I thought...I thought a monster ate you!"

I laughed and rocked her back and forth. "Oh, honey. Don't worry, mommy is very good at fighting monsters. Don't ever be scared just because I come home late, OK?"

Serena nodded, sniffling. "Ok."

"Ok," I kissed her cheek. "And now, it's bedtime."

Serena was too worn out to argue as I took her upstairs and put her in bed.

"You brush your teeth?," I asked as I tucked her in. She nodded.

"Good girl," I said, giving her another kiss and rubbing my nose against hers. She giggled.

"Goodnight, mommy."

"Goodnight, sweetie."

I turned her light off and watched her drift off, then went down the hall to mine and Arthur's room to undress and take a long, hot bath. As the tub was filling up, my cell phone buzzed. I tightened the belt on my silky, kimono-style robe and picked my cell.

"Hello?"

"Hey, honey. Serena in bed when you got home?"

"Nope, waiting tearfully on the couch. She was afraid I had gotten eaten by monsters," I said playfully.

Arthur chuckled. "What a kid. She ask about me?"

"No….," I answered hesitantly. The line was silent for a moment. "I think she's just used to you working a lot," I offered.

"Just like you didn't want, right?"

"Arthur-"

"No, it's ok, Joan. When this case is over, we'll devise a schedule that gives us a lot more time as a family. But right now, we have Zura on the move. I think I'll have to pull an all-nighter."

I sighed. "Ok. Want me to bring you another suit tomorrow?"

"No. I got some extras in my office closet."

I laughed. "Always prepared. Don't push yourself too hard, honey. If you need to crash for a few hours, the couch in my office is very comfortable."

"Thanks. I love you. And tell Serena I love her."

"I will. I love you too."

We hung up and I got in the bathtub. As I sunk into the warm, soothing water, I was instantly relaxed. I took a deep breath and slipped underwater for a few seconds. When I came up, I reached for the book I had left on the edge of the tub. Sometimes I would take an opportunity like this to think over work things, but I was done with Zura's case for the day. It was time to unwind.


	3. Chapter 3

Ta da! Chapter 3! I'm trying my hardest to not make Serena sound like a 5 year old when she talks, but I just can't write lines and lines of baby talk. So yes, I know it's not totally accurate. I also tried to not wrap up the CIA case too quickly, but I couldn't think of a way to continue it. Don't worry, more CIA drama is on it's way!

Please read, review, and enjoy :)

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><p>Three days later, I was worn out and frustrated. If we ever caught this guy - hell, I would kill him. We had been receiving anonymous tips saying he was everywhere from Los Angeles to Bejing. And none of the sightings had been correct. Auggie had tracked Zura's signal to London, so Jai and a few other agents were on a plane there right now. I was just sitting in my office, waiting for the call saying they had landed. And I needed more coffee. I rose out of my desk chair and smoothed my cerulean blue dress. When I passed Auggie's office, I saw he had his face in his hands and was rubbing his eyes. I stepped through the doorway and knocked lightly on the doorframe. Auggie's head jerked up.<p>

"Dolce and Gabbana perfume….. Joan! Please, come in."

I laughed. "You never fail to amaze. I'm in desperate need for caffeine. Care to take a break and join me on a little stroll downstairs?"

Auggie's face broke into a grin and he stood. "Count me in."

I walked over to him and placed my hand on his forearm to guide him. He clicked on his laser cane and we left the DPD together.

"So," Auggie asked as we walked down the hall. "How's Serena?"

"She's good. I feel so awful that I'm working from 7 am to 9 pm every day. I usually take her to preschool every morning. Last week, I even was able to pick her up at 2 on a few days! And now…"

Auggie squeezed my hand as we came to a stop at the end of the line at the Starbucks kiosk.

"Joan, don't go there. You are an amazing mother and your daughter knows you love her. She's very intelligent for her age."

I sighed. "I know, I just… I don't want her to be one of those kids who spends more time with her babysitter than her parents. Even if her babysitter is a very sweet girl."

"Really?," Auggie asked, instantly interested. "Tell me more."

I just laughed. "I am not setting you up with my daughter's babysitter."

We moved to the counter to order. I got a double latte, Auggie got his regular coffee with a shot of espresso.

"Espresso shot?," I questioned, taking a sip from my double latte.

"Only when I know I'm gonna be up late," Auggie admitted.

"Well, what time is it?," I asked. I grabbed Auggie's wrist and looked at his watch. I loved that he still wore it, even though he couldn't see it. He just opened it and felt the hands to figure out what time it was. I gasped.

"Shit! 10 pm? How did that happen?" I started walking quickly towards the elevator, but realized I had left Auggie and doubled back to get him.

"Thanks. I was hoping you wouldn't forget me."

"Never. Well, maybe…," I teased, gently gripping his forearm.

"Oh, ouch. "

I laughed. "Don't worry, Auggie. You're stuck with me, as a boss and as a friend." I thought for a second. "Or maybe just a friend. Arthur still wants to talk with you about the OCA job, when this whole thing is over."

"And I with him," Auggie said. We approached the DPD door and I held it open for him. I was leading him to his office when I saw Annie waving me over to her desk. I steered Auggie towards her desk with me.

"Detour?"

"Annie's desk," I said. "Annie. What's up?"

"Hey Joan, Auggie," she said. She clicked her mouse a few times. "Joan, Jai called. They landed a few minutes ago. All he needs is your go-ahead."

"You can give it to him. I need to head home for the night…," I trailed off, realizing that if Jai and his team were going for Zura, I needed to be here. "Or not." I turned to Auggie. "Auggie, see if you can get ears, maybe even eyes."

I turned back to Annie. "After you give Jai the go-ahead, get everyone in the conference room in ten minutes so we can hear what goes down."

I walked away, heading for my office. I needed to put a call in to Arthur so he could get down here. If Zura was still in London, this was happening _now_.

"Arthur?"

"Hey, Joan, you headed home?"

"Nope. Jai and his team landed, we are about 15 minutes from a takedown. If Jai can pull this off, Zura is finished."

I could hear satisfaction in Arthur's voice. "Good. I'll get myself down to the DPD immediately."

"Ok." I bit my lip and lowered my voice. "I can't wait for this to be over so we can have some down time," I whispered into the phone.

"Me neither," Arthur laughed. "See you soon."

And fifteen minutes later, Auggie, Annie, Arthur, about 17 DPD agents, and I sat in the conference room, watching a slightly shaky video feed that Auggie was streaming from a camera on the button of Jai's shirt. The camera also had audio, so we could hear everything that was going on. We couldn't talk to Jai, but he knew we could hear and see him.

Jai knocked on the door of Zura's apartment.

"Jon Zura?"

He pounded harder. After a minute with no answer, one of the other agents kicked down the door. Jai and his guys went in, guns pointed in front of them, spreading out to cover the small apartment. Nothing.

"He's not here," Jai said disappointedly. And then we heard a tiny click.

"Thought you got me, huh? Think again."

Annie gasped. "Who's voice was that?"

I grabbed Arthur hand. "Zura's," he breathed, pulling me closer to him. "Zura is holding a gun to his head."

"This is what's going to happen," Zura said, his voice dripping with anger. "You're going to give me your guns, and I'm going to try and not make a mess."

I gulped. A tear ran down Annie's cheek.

And then, it happened very fast, and all at once: one of Jai's guys pointed his gun at Zura and calmly told him to drop it. Zura turned and pointed his gun at the other guys, and in one swift move that I couldn't even follow, Jai knocked him out, tackling him to the ground. They punched and kicked at each other, rolling around on the dirty cement floor of Zura's current hideout. I held my breath and squeezed Athur's hand tighter. I saw Annie's eyes widen and Auggie squeeze her shoulder, listening for everyone else's sighs of relief.

"We got him," Jai said, standing up to show a badly bruised and slightly bloody Zura lying on the floor, being handcuffed by one of the guys from Jai's team. "We're taking him to the London station. I'll call you when we're done."

The video feed stopped and the entire conference room erupted with cheers, clapping, and high-fives. I grinned. They were like a high school sports team that had just won a championship. Annie and Auggie were in a tight embrace that I decided to not break up. Instead, I hugged my husband, letting myself give him a quick kiss before burying my face in his chest. He stroked my hair.

"We got him. It's all ok."

The next morning, Serena woke up to both Arthur and I sitting on her bedroom floor in our pajamas. I was cuddled up against his chest, and we were both watching her sleep. When she saw us, her eyes snapped all the way open and she jumped out of bed.

"Mommy! Daddy!"

She jumped on us and we kissed every part of her we could reach: her toes, her stomach, her face. She giggled.

"You kill a monster last night? Is that why you not here at bedtime?"

Arthur winked at me. "Yes," he said, hugging Serena close to him. "Mommy and I slayed a dragon."

"Yayyyyy!," she said, kissing Arthur all over his face. "Hey daddy, guess what! I drawed my treehouse! In the kitchen, come seeee!"

She hopped up and ran downstairs. Arthur laughed and got up, then held out his hand to help me stand. I tugged on the silky tie of my kimono robe, which I wore over my white tank top and gray shorts, and took his hand. He kissed my temple and we followed our daughter.

"God, that kid is like a speeding bullet," he whispered as we walked down the stairs. "How is she so energetic? It's 7:30 AM!"

"She has an endless amount of energy. It looks like someone's going to Home Depot today, _daddy_," I teased, laughing_._ Arthur looked around to make sure Serena was in sight, then pushed me up against the wall by the staircase and kissed me hungrily.

"I told you how sexy I find it when you call me that," he whispered, sucking on my ear. He kissed the sweet spot on my neck and I let out the softest of moans. Then I placed my fingers over his lips.

"You go any further and I may not be able to stop," I whispered back. He gave me a sly grin and pressed his forehead up against mine.

"Mommmmmy, dadddddy," Serena yelled from the kitchen. "Where are you?"

I laughed and grabbed his hand, pulling him after me into the kitchen. "Come on."

He sighed, then followed me to the kitchen table, where Serena sat with her crayons and drawing that had been left out the night before. She held out a picture of a stick-like tree with a square in it.

Arthur smiled and looked at me. "Look, honey. It's a tree house."

I bit my lip to keep from laughing. Arthur was constantly astounded by Serena's drawings and her interpretations of things. She had a very interesting 3-year-old perspective, which was a refreshing change to him. And he was very cute about it.

"Daddy, can it be pink?"

"Oh, I don't know, honey. We have to build it first."

"Yay! When can we buy it?"

Arthur laughed and ruffled her hair. "I have to put it together," he laughed. "If you get dressed, we'll have breakfast and go buy supplies, ok sweetie?"

"Ok!" Serena jumped up and ran upstairs.

"I should follow her," I said, walking towards the kitchen door. "Who knows what she'll end up wearing if I don't guide her a bit."

"Wait," Arthur grabbed my wrist. His eyes had a little sparkle in them. "Do you want to go out tonight? We could call Annie and Auggie, have them come over and babysit. I think we need it after the last week."

I smiled and leaned in to give him a soft kiss. "Sounds perfect."

Two hours later, Arthur and Serena (dressed in a lavender dress and white sweater) headed to Home Depot for tree house-building supplies. I had time to myself, which rarely happened anymore, so grabbed my book and sat outside. It was so nice to sit and read, feeling the cool breeze on my feet. It was quiet and sunny in the backyard. I really wanted that date tonight with Arthur, so after a while I put down my book and picked up my cell phone.

"Hey, Annie, it's Joan."

"Hey, Joan! What's up? You're not coming in today, are you? Because you and Arthur really could use a day off."

"No, I agree with you. Arthur and Serena are at Home Depot, buying supplies to make a tree house."

Annie laughed. "Ooh, a tree house. How fun!"

"Yep," I grinned. "And after a day of that, Arthur and I are going to need some time alone. We were wondering if you could babysit tonight. Maybe bring Auggie with you."

"I would love to!," Annie exclaimed. I could practically hear her beaming. "I'll ask Auggie if he's free to help me out."

"Thank you," I said. "You have no idea how grateful we are to you. There nothing I love more in this world than my baby, but Arthur and I still need some time to ourselves. Especially after a high stress case like this."

"Totally," Annie said. "How about 7?"

"Perfect. We'll see you tonight. Thank you so much, Annie."

"You're welcome. Bye, Joan."

"Bye, Annie."

As I hung up, I heard Arthur and Serena come through the front door. I went inside to help them unload the car.

"Mommy, look what we got!," Serena said, running at me. I held my arms out and caught her, lifting her up in air and swinging her around, then balancing her on my hip. She giggled and I gave her a little eskimo kiss. I never got tired of those.

"What, baby? What did you get?"

"We got a tree house in a box!"

I looked at Arthur curiously. He smiled. "We found this unassembled playhouse of sorts that the guy said can be used as a tree house, with a few modifications. I got some extra wood and large nails, things like that. Oh, and pink paint." He kissed Serena's cheek. "This little cutie had her heart set on rosy pink paint."

I winked at Serena. "Did you now, baby?"

"Yes! Pinks pretty! Why do you not wear pink, mommy?"

I laughed. "Because it looks prettier on you. But I do have one pink dress."

Serena studied me for a few seconds in her child-like way. "Well, you are very pretttty, mommy," she declared. I hugged her close to my chest, even squeezing her a bit.

"Thank you, baby."

Arthur hauled the last of the bags into the kitchen and set them on the table.

"Serena, you want to do this now, kiddo?"

Serena nodded at hyper speed. "Yes, yes, yes!" She squirmed a bit and I lowered her down.

I laughed. "Wait a second, honey, I gotta put you down before you start running."

"Okaaay, mommy, okay."

The second her feet hit the floor, Serena took off running into the backyard, grabbing her drawing off the table in the process. "Come on, daddy!"

Arthur laughed and picked up the box containing the unassembled tree house/playhouse.

"Coming, sweetie."

I walked towards the garage. "Here, honey, I'll get the ladder for you."

Arthur stepped in front of me, blocking my path.

"Oh no. You get some rest, take a nap. I want you to be well rested so I can keep you out all night."

"But you don't have to do it all by yourself-"

"Joan, I'll be fine. Please, take a break. I know that you're still a bit worn out from the case," Arthur said, putting the box down so he could put his arms around my waist.

"Daddy!," Serena called from the backyard.

We laughed. Arthur kissed my cheek. "I got this," he whispered.

I nodded. "Ok."

I heard Arthur rush outside and talk with Serena as I climbed the stairs. I slipped my bra off under my navy blue jersey tank dress and lay on top of the covers with a blanket wrapped around me. The second I closed my eyes, my mind started to wander. And suddenly, it was two and a half years ago and I was standing in our bedroom, just a few feet away from the bed. Serena was fast asleep in her crib across the hall. I looked god-awful, my eyes red-rimmed and dripping with tears, the tip of my nose pink. My hair was in a knotted ponytail, and I had been wearing the same sweats for three days. Arthur had come home to find me sitting on the floor, curled up in a ball.

"Joan!"

I looked up, my face tear-stained. Arthur was kneeling next to me, staring at me with fear in his eyes.

"What's wrong, honey? What is it?"

He pulled me close to him and rocked me back and forth. I just sobbed. Sobbed and sobbed and sobbed. I had pushed myself to a breaking point, trying to do everything. Reorganizing the house and baby-proofing everything, looking after Serena, wheedling Annie into sending me some files from work so I could have something to distract me, which worked and consumed me. I hadn't slept in almost four days.

"Joan, what is it? Did I do something wrong? I know it's a little later than I'm usually home, but I had a meeting that ran late…"

"No," I gasped through my tears. "It's not you. It's not your fault."

"Yes, yes it is. I'm working too much, leaving you to take care of the baby too much, not helping out enough…."

I shook my head furiously. "No, please, it's not your fault, Arthur. I just push myself too hard, get burnt out. I can't…. I can't do this. If I can't handle this, how can I handle it when she's a toddler? Maybe I should just…. Get out while I still can."

"Joan!," Arthur exclaimed. "What the hell are you talking about?"

"I don't know," I cried, a fresh wave of tears starting. "I don't know what to do."

Arthur looked like he was in pain and his eyes looked a little watery.

"Oh, honey," He said, slowly pulling me up to stand. He took my hands. "You just need sleep. You don't let yourself sleep enough."

I leaned against him, falling into his arms and allowing myself to cry until I ran out of tears. Arthur just held me and let me fall apart. Eventually, he put me in bed and pulled the covers over me.

"I'm sorry," I whispered, seconds before I drifted off. "I'm so sorry."

Back in the present, I shook my head, as if trying to shake the memory out of my head. I closed my eyes once more and tried to empty my mind, letting myself drift into sleep.


	4. Chapter 4

This chapter is a bit short, but I hope you enjoy it all the same. Can you guys believe that midseason finale last night? Intense.

As always, reviews and feedback are appreciated! :)

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><p>I was putting on my favorite MAC Cosmo lipstick when I heard the front door open.<p>

"Annieeeee!," Serena squealed. Arthur had just gotten out of the shower, so I went downstairs to greet her. My heels clicked on the hardwood floors and I could tell Auggie wasn't with her because he would have called out my presence from my perfume or shoes by now. Annie was on the floor on her knees, letting Serena hug her to death.

"Hey, Annie," I grinned. "No Auggie?"

She stood up and brushed her hands on her jeans. "Wow, Joan, you look…. amazing," she gaped. I was wearing a navy blue one-shoulder dress with a small slit on one side, and my hair was wavy.

"Really?," I blushed. Serena giggled and seconded her. "Yeah, mommy, you look sooo pretty! Like a princess!"

Annie and I laughed. Serena watched us, obviously not understanding what was so funny.

"Oh, Serena," I sighed, looking at her face, which was smeared with chocolate. "What are you eating?"

"A cookie."

Annie picked her up and licked her own thumb, wiping the chocolate off Serena's face.

"How about you let me feed you dinner before you have dessert, ok sweetie?"

Serena giggled and I smiled. "Kay."

Annie held Serena in her arms as she walked to the kitchen, and I followed them. Annie sat Serena at the kitchen counter and went about making dinner while she chatted with my daughter about her desire for a tree house. She knew her way around the kitchen, pulling out a box of pasta and boiling water. I smiled to myself as I watched them, so happy that Serena had people like Annie and Auggie in her life.

"Auggie had a date," Annie said, turning from the stovetop where she was pouring pasta into the pot to look at me briefly. She turned back. "Sorry, I didn't answer you before, I was preoccupied."

I walked over and stood next to her. "Its ok, it doesn't matter to me. We see him around here plenty. But does it matter to you?"

Annie shook her head. "No," she said firmly as she stirred the pasta with a spoon. She walked to the pantry on the other side of the kitchen to pull out a little bowl and spoon for Serena and a normal, adult-sized one for herself. "Not at all."

"Uh huh," I said, with a raise of my eyebrow. Annie gave me a look that said, _Let's just not go there._ Lucky for her, Arthur came downstairs, clean and dressed in a black suit, white dress shirt, and maroon tie.

"Ready to go, darling?"

I smiled and stroked Annie's hair once with my hand. "Tell me if you want to talk."

Annie nodded to signal she understood but said nothing. I walked over to the counter and kissed Serena on the tip of her nose. She giggled and kissed me back.

"Have fun with Annie, baby."

Arthur came over and kissed her too. "Love you, sweetie. Annie's the boss, ok?"

I laughed and took his arm, calling out a "Thank you!" again to Annie as we left.

Once inside the restaurant, Arthur ordered a scotch for himself and a glass of chardonnay for me. We sat at small, romantic table in the back of the restaurant. Arthur took both my hands in his and I relaxed at his touch. Everything felt right again. Like a huge weight had been lifted off both our shoulders. Our drinks arrived and we wasted no time toasting to the end of a very long workweek.

"So," Arthur said, massaging my fingers. "You were great this week. You handled everything very well. Amazing, in fact."

I smiled and took a sip of my chardonnay. "I couldn't have done it without Jai, Annie, and Auggie."

"Yeah, it's funny how that works out, isn't it?," Arthur asked with a chuckle.

"What?"

"Well, I was tearing my hair out trying to figure out how to keep you out of the line of fire, when Jai calls and says he's at the airport in London, an hour from boarding a flight to D.C."

"Really?" I was intrigued. When Jai left 3 years ago, I was under the impression he had no intention to return any time soon. And by soon, I mean within at least 5 years of leaving.

"Yep. It was perfect."

"Huh," I said, sipping my wine and squeezing Arthur's fingers. "Perfect."

"You know what else is perfect?," Arthur asked, a mischievous glint in his eye. I raised my eyebrow.

"What?"

"My beautiful wife," he grinned, leaning over the table to kiss me. It was slightly awkward, but I leaned a bit too and met his lips with mine. I never usually engaged in PDA, but right now, I didn't care. My wonderful, handsome husband who I loved more than anything was sitting across the table from me and I was going to kiss him as much as I wanted.

xxxxxxxxx

**Arthur''s POV**

I looked across the table at Joan. I could tell she was suspicious about Jai and his out-of-the-blue arrival, but I didn't want to get into that tonight. I would tell her soon. For now, I just wanted to stare into her eyes and be grateful all had gone well and that everything was ok. I loved her so, so much. The only downside to having our beautiful little daughter was that I couldn't take Joan home and do whatever I wanted to her. But I could kiss her. And I did. In the middle of the restaurant, where anyone could see. We broke apart and I put my hand on her cheek.

"I love you."

Two days later, I was sitting in my office at about 4 in the afternoon, contemplating an early glass of Scotch when Jai walked through the door unannounced.

"Jai!," I said. I was about to say, "Good morning," when I saw the grave look on his face. He sat in the chair on the other side of my desk and rubbed his temples. He looked distressed, and severely pissed off.

"The rumors are true, Arthur."

I leaned back in my chair and sighed. I felt a headache coming on. "How do you know?"

"The devil himself told me."

"Damn," I muttered. I looked at him. "We have to tell Joan."

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**Joan's POV**

I sat in my office, thinking of my amazing night with Arthur a few days ago. I had insisted on relieving Annie of walk-in duty to thank her, but she would have none of it. Arthur had sent me a file about an hour ago that seemed like a good job for Annie. A quick information exchange at a secure location, a small paragraph of protocol. Easy as pie. I knew Auggie would have liked to go, but I needed him to think about the OCA job. Sending him out for a quick assignment may change his mind. I got up and walked out of my office to the rest of the DPD. Leaning on the railing that overlooked the maze of desks, my eyes scanned the room until I found who I was looking for.

"Murphy! Take over Annie's walk-ins, will you? Tell her I have to talk to her."

The dark-haired, forty-something operative looked up from his desk and made eye contact with me.

"Sure thing, Joan."

I smiled. Murphy was a good guy. A list of minor health issues kept him from going into the field more than every once and a while, so he did a lot of desk work. But he was good at it. I almost felt sorry for him sometimes. I went back to my office and sat down in my chair. Just a few minutes later, I was pleasantly surprised by Arthur knocking on my door. When I saw him, I leaned in for a kiss, but he coughed and Jai emerged from behind him. I tried to hide my disappointment.

"Hey, guys. What can I for you?"

Arthur took my hand and led me to the couch. We sat and Jai stood in the corner of the office, rubbing his temples as if he had a horrible headache.

"Jai, are you alright?'

"My father is being released," he blurted out. Arthur glared at him.

"Nice."

"Arthur?," I asked worriedly. "Is this true?"

Arthur looked into my eyes. "Unfortunately, yes."

Jai exhaled angrily. "His lawyer got him a court date. If he can, he will slither right out of his sentence with no ramifications."

"But how?," I asked. I was confused and more than little bit panicked. Arthur squeezed my hand and sighed, rubbing the fingers of his other hand together to signal money. I groaned.

"Oh, perfect." I looked at Jai. "Can we fight it?"

"Probably not," he grimaced. I let my head drop into my hands and we all just sat there in silence, cursing Henry Wilcox.

"What's going on?" Annie's voice floated into my office. I looked up and saw her standing in the doorway with a confused look on her face. She had every right to be confused. Jai was standing in the corner, leaning against the wall with his face in his hands. Arthur and I were sitting on the couch, our hands clasped and with tired, hopeless looks on our faces. It looked like we had received some pretty bad news. Which we had.

"My father has gotten himself a trial. If he's lucky, he'll be out of jail in a month," Jai spit out.

Annie gasped and put her hand over her mouth. She looked to me and I nodded my head in confirmation. Annie leaned up against the wall and slid her body down slowly, sitting on the floor.

"Oh my god."

We all just sat there, letting the news wash over us and take full effect. Henry Wilcox had endangered the lives of many operatives, and he was going to get away with it. As was Liza Hearn. The news that she was caught up in this whole scandal had never seen the light of day. The public hadn't even known there was a CIA leak and investigation going on. So Liza and Henry would just get away with it.


	5. Chapter 5

Sorry this took so long! I like to write ahead of time, but then I scrapped all of chapters 6 and 7 and started to go in a totally new direction, delaying the publishing of this chapter. I wrote this before the finale (the EPIC finale), so Annie and her sister have a bit of a different relationship than they currently do on the show. I hope you enjoy a little bit more Annie and some Arthur/Joan smut ;)

I acknowledge the slight OOC-ness. Please review with lots feedback, as I am currently a bit stuck! Oh, and enjoy! :)

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><p>When Arthur and I got home, I was exhausted. It had been a long day, and we had many more ahead of us thanks to Henry Wilcox. Bastard.<p>

Arthur smiled at me from the bed as I placed my Jimmy Choos in the bottom of the closet and pulled my hair out of its ponytail, leaving it to fall in soft waves past my shoulders. I snuggled up next to him on top of the covers and kissed him, letting myself surrender to his touch. He slipped his hand under my short lavender nightie and my mouth opened slightly. I meant for a moan of pleasure to come out, but a yawn escaped instead. I frowned and buried my face in the crook of his neck, hoping he hadn't noticed. Thankfully, he hadn't.

"Don't worry about this whole Henry Wilcox thing, ok?," he murmured, rubbing my stomach like he used to when I was pregnant. He kissed the side of my neck and worked his way down the thin lace neckline of my nightie, and I giggled softly. I shifted so I was on top of him, tangling my fingers in his hair. My body relaxed into total bliss when he kissed my chest and used just his index and middle fingers to slide down the thin purple straps on my shoulders.

"Arthur," I whispered, my voice low and sultry. "I love you."

"And I love you," he replied with a mischievous grin, slipping the nightie down and kissing my entire torso. I leaned into him, but I felt drowsy. I wrapped my ankles around his shins and pressed my body against his passionately, sucking on his earlobe. I opened my mouth to moan again, but this time a louder yawn came out. Arthur pulled his head away from my breasts, where he had been nuzzling his face, and laughed at me.

"Tired?"

"Maybe," I admitted. Another yawn slipped out. I wrapped my arms around his neck and pushed my chest against his, raising one eyebrow and daring him to say no.

"Oh, you know I have a hard time denying that," Arthur said, looking me up and down. I yawned again and immediately clamped my hand over my mouth. He laughed again. "But you need to sleep."

"But it was so nice," I pouted, sitting up on our bed and not bothering to fix my nightie, letting the silky material pool around my waist. Arthur shook his head and chuckled. He put his hand on the side of my face and stroked my cheek lovingly.

"I know, sweetheart. But you're tired."

I exhaled noisily and flopped backwards onto the pillows. Then, in an act of great maturity, I stuck my bottom lip out like Serena does when we tried to make her eat something she didn't want to (which was a lot of foods these days). Arthur reached out to pull up the top of my nightgown and let his hands linger on my breasts for just a moment. I smiled sexily and leaned forward a bit. That got an even bigger laugh from Arthur and he gently slid the straps up and placed a kiss on each of my shoulders. Then he pulled the covers down and we slipped under them. I kissed him one more time before I laid back against the pillows and tried to fall asleep. Before I drifted off, I felt Arthur take my hand under the covers.

The next morning, I was pleasantly surprised to find that Serena had not climbed into our bed in the middle of the night. I looked at the clock on my bedside table and groaned. 5:30 AM. Arthur sat next to me in bed, reading the screen of his Blackberry. He looked away and saw me smiling at him sleepily.

"Hey there."

He leaned down and kissed my lips. I made a little happy noise and smiled.

"Babe?," I asked, pulling myself up to sit next to him. "Shouldn't you be wearing your glasses if you're reading your email?"

He squinted at the screen and laughed, then held it out to show me.

"Nah. I'm just playing Tetris."

"Oh," I grinned, pressing my forehead up against his. "Well, in that case I was thinking of taking a shower…."

Arthur kissed me and I pulled him down on the bed with me, wrapping my arms around him. My hands had just moved to the waistband of his cotton boxers when his phone rang loudly. I groaned.

"Do you have to get that?"

Arthur made a move to get up and answer his phone, but my hands were planted firmly on his waist, restricting his movement.

"Honey, it could be important," Arthur said, coaxing me into releasing him from my grip. I ignored him and pressed my lips to his.

"….national security…" he mumbled as I stole one more kiss. It continued to ring, more and more annoying with each passing second.

"Fine," I whispered in defeat. I sighed and let go, moving so he could reach for his phone. He answered and I got up and off the bed, walking towards the bathroom. I pulled my nightgown over my head and let it drop to the cold tile, looking over my shoulder at Arthur before I stepped into the shower.

About 5 minutes later, I was washing my hair when I heard Arthur step into the bathroom over the running water of the shower. He tapped on the opaque glass and I opened the door with a wink.

"Change your mind?"

"I can't believe I'm saying this, but no," he sighed. "That was my secretary. Apparently, Henry wants a meeting."

"I'm coming with you," I said immediately. Arthur placed a finger on my lips.

"I wouldn't do it otherwise. I was thinking we'd drop Serena with Annie once she wakes up, then head to the prison. Henry can wait. I, however, need to go over everything related to his case, just in case the son of a bitch tries to pull something on me. I'll check on Serena, and then I'll be in my study. Join me when you're done here?"

"Ok," I sighed. "Sounds like a plan."

Arthur gave me a quick kiss before very obviously checking out my wet body. I bit my lip and pretended to blush. He nodded in approval.

"Hot."

I giggled and watched him walk back into our bedroom before closing the shower door to finish washing up. As I shaved my legs I wondered what Henry could possibly want from Arthur. I was just so ready to have him out of our lives for good.

xxxxxx

**Annie's POV**

I woke up at 7 AM thinking about my night of fun with Serena three days ago. She was such a little cutie, and I really loved being with her. I did feel a little guilty whenever I hung out at the Campbells, though. I had never really told Danielle I was a godmother. I just didn't want to get into explaining the whole situation with Joan. So I just told Dani I had a new friend I was spending time with whenever I went to go play with Serena. And she was always very happy for me. Since Scott and I broke up last year, Danielle always gave me disapproving looks when I was home late or rushed out early because of work.

Speaking of work, I thought I should probably head to Langley in an hour, so I got out of bed and stretched my arms out towards the ceiling, trying to wake myself up. I stared at myself in the mirror. Just me in my cornflower blue Betsey Johnson camisole and matching shorts, both edged in pink lace.

"Knock, knock," Danielle called from the other side of my guesthouse door. "Can I come in?"

"Sure," I called back, walking over to my desk to get my phone. Danielle stepped in and closed the door behind her, walking to me at my desk. I picked my phone up from the desk, and a picture of me hugging Serena slid out from under it and onto the ground. Danielle bent down to pick it up and I braced myself for whatever was about to happen.

"Who's this?" Dani looked extremely confused. She had every right to be. I figured it would be best to be straight with her, so I took a deep breath and said," My….goddaughter."

"Your _what_? You have a goddaughter? What's her name?"

"Yeah," I said, scratching my head, trying to find a way to explain. "Um, Serena. She's my co-worker's daughter, and I just, uh, hang out with her on weekends and stuff. Try to be a good role model, cause she doesn't have a lot of family living in the area."

"Well how old is she?"

"Three."

"She's adorable," Danielle smiled, handing me the picture. I still remembered that day four months ago, when I took her to the park with Arthur and we watched her swing for what seemed like hours. I pointed to the little Stella McCartney for Gapkids jacket she wore in the picture.

"Her mom is one of the only people know who would dress her child in Stella McCartney's kids line. She dresses her daughter as stylishly as she dresses herself."

Danielle laughed, then gave me her "something-awesome-just-dawned-on-me" look.

"Hey, I know! You should invite her and your co-worker over one morning. I'd love to meet them."

I suddenly felt a bit faint. I may have spent at least one day a week at the Campbell house since Serena was a year old, but I didn't know if it was a good idea for Serena and Joan to come over to my sister's house.

"You know what, Dani?," I asked, putting my hands on her shoulders and steering her towards the door. "That sounds great, but I gotta get ready for work. We can talk later."

"Oh, ok," Dani said with a small frown. She closed the door behind her and I collapsed onto my bed, reaching for my phone and scrolling through my address book until I reached Joan's number. I bit my lip and listened to it ring.

xxxxxx

**Joan's POV**

My hair was up in a towel and I was choosing which dress to wear to work when my phone rang. The caller ID read 'Annie.' I picked it up.

"Hey Annie," I answered, searching for my blue dress with the longer sleeves and the square neckline. "What's up? I was just about to call you."

"Danielle wants to meet you," Annie said, sounding uncomfortable. "She was in my room and saw a picture of me and Serena, and I had to give her an explanation, so I just said you were my co-worker….."

"Annie, don't stress," I said soothingly, locating the dress and tossing it on the bed. "I was actually going to ask if you could watch Serena today. Henry wants a meeting with Arthur, so we're going up to the prison."

Annie sighed with relief. "I would love to. Dani's daughters will be at school, so it will be the perfect opportunity for her to get to know Serena. But Henry Wilcox? I don't know, Joan…"

"Annie," I said firmly. "It will be fine, Arthur and I have this under control. I'll bring Serena by in about an hour, okay? And you don't have to go into work today. I give you permission to take a day off…. No, scratch that, I order you to take the day off."

"Done," Annie said cheerfully. "See you soon!"

I hung up my phone and slipped my dress on, then put on my small gold hoop earrings. I was searching for my favorite charcoal grey pumps when I heard Serena shrieking. _Whooosh_. I exhaled and slipped my feet in the heels, then walked down the hall to her room. But instead of seeing Serena freaking out over something small (last month, she dissolved into tears for half an hour because she couldn't find one of her shoes), I saw Arthur tickling her mercilessly in the middle of the room.

"Daddy!"

"Hey, guys," I said, taking a step into the room. Arthur turned to look at me and whatever words he was about to say were gone. He whistled and I laughed.

"Mommy!" Serena ran at me, hugging my leg. I bent down and pulled her to me, squeezing her little body in a hug.

"Hello baby," I cooed, kissing both of her cheeks. "Did daddy tell you that you get to play with Aunt Annie today?"

"Yes! I wanna wear my lello dress!"

I laughed and picked her up, balancing her on my hip as I walked to the closet. Arthur followed behind me, making silly faces at her. She watched him over my shoulder and giggled adorably while I looked through her closet for her favorite yellow dress. It had butterflies, and had been a birthday gift from Annie this year.

"Here we go, honey," I said, sitting her down on her bed and trying to pull her nightgown up over her head. "Hold your arms up."

"I want daddy to do it!"

Arthur chuckled and sat on the other side of Serena. I handed him the dress and went looking for Serena's little pink bag. I packed her cute little military jacket, her favorite stuffed animal bunny, and a few books. I would usually add a snack, but Annie knew exactly what Serena liked to eat and Serena was much more open to new things when Annie was around. Annie rubbed off on her without even trying.

When Serena was all dressed and ready to go in her butterfly dress and little pink baby Converse sneakers, she grabbed one of each of our hands and took off down the stairs.

"Auntie Annie, Auntie Annnnniiieee," she sang loudly, half-skipping to the garage. Arthur laughed and strapped her into her car seat, then pressed a quick kiss to my lips before opening the passenger side door for me.

When we got to Annie's sister's house, I took Serena out of her car seat and held her in my arms as we walked up to the door. Serena was often uneasy at new places, so sometimes it was hard to get her to move her feet. Serena reached her hand out to ring the doorbell and I helped her press it. I looked around the patio. There were toys scattered everywhere, two kid-sized bikes leaned up against a wall, and a bucket of rain boots next to the door. I could see part of the door to Annie's guest house from where I stood, hidden partially by an ivy covered fence.

"Hi! You must be Serena!"

The door swung open and suddenly I was face to face with Annie's sister, Danielle. I'd never met her, but I had heard a lot about her in the last few years. She definitely looked like she was related to Annie. Tall, golden blonde hair, confident smile. Serena hid her face behind my hair and I shifted her to my hip and held my hand out to shake Danielle's.

"Hi, I'm Joan. I work with Annie," I smiled. "And this is Serena." I turned to my side and looked at Serena through my straightened hair. "Can you say hi to Danielle, sweetie?"

Serena peeked through my hair. "Hi," she whispered, her voice barely audible.

Danielle laughed. "Hi, I'm Danielle."

Annie came running up behind Danielle and Serena started wiggling around in my arms. In rolled-up jeans, a pale pink tank top, and a navy hoodie, Annie looked ready for a day of playing with her goddaughter.

"Annie!" Serena attempted to jump out of my arms and I held onto her tightly until I could set her down on the ground. She squealed with delight and ran at Annie, whose arms were already outstretched.

"Hey, cutie pie! What are we gonna do today?"

"Everything!," Serena declared, wrapping her arms around Annie's neck tightly. Danielle watched in awe and pride, and I fiddled with my wedding ring. After a slightly awkward 10-second pause, we heard a ringing coming from inside and Danielle rushed back into the house to answer her phone.

"Well, I should get going," I said. I looked at Annie. "Stuff to do."

She nodded. I took a few steps closer to her and kissed Serena on the top of her head and stroked her hair. "Have fun today, okay baby?"

"Kay."

I looked at Annie. "Call me if you need anything."

Annie bit her lip, a concerned look on her face. "Joan, be careful today, ok? Please?"

"Annie, I'm gonna be fine," I assured her. I wrapped an arm around her in a bit of a half-hug. She returned the gesture and pressed a kiss my temple. With one more hand squeeze from Annie, I waved to Danielle, who was on the phone, and headed back to the car.

"Ready to do this?," Arthur asked when I slid back into the car. I pulled his face towards mine and kissed him tenderly.

"Let's do this."


	6. Chapter 6

Sorry I haven't posted in so long! Please enjoy this chapter, I really like it :) I have barely begun writing chapter 7, so ANY feedback/ideas would be greatly appreciated! :)

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><p>Nervous didn't even begin to cover how I felt about seeing Henry Wilcox after 3 years. The drive up to the prison he was being held in was practically silent. Every once and a while I saw Arthur glance at me out of the corner of his eye. I knew he was concerned for me, and as much as I appreciated that, I didn't want him to think I was fragile.<p>

Arthur drove through the guard station, showed ID, and we were in. When we got out of the car, I was tempted to reach for his hand but didn't. I didn't want him to be worried about protecting me. A prison guard showed us to a small, monitored room where inmates met with outside visitors. It was empty except for me and Arthur, so we sat down on a bench behind a cold, concrete table.

"Arthur Campbell."

We turned around to see Henry Wilcox being lead to the table by the same prison guard who showed us to the room. Henry had a malicious grin on his face and was wearing one of those god-awful orange jumpsuits. He sat down across from us.

"I see you brought Joan," he leered, looking at me with a mix of disgust and something I didn't recognize. Arthur instinctively took my hand under the table.

"What do you want, Henry?"

"I wanted to warn you of my impending release," he grinned, leaning back slightly so his head rested against the wall. Arthur scoffed.

"We know about you weaseling your way into a trial, Henry."

Henry's face darkened and he looked angry. He obviously had called this little meeting to break the news to Arthur and watch him squirm. I smirked and covered it with my hand.

'"Jai told you?," he asked coldly.

"Yes."

Henry sighed. "That's the problem with family. You can never guarantee loyalty, even with them." He looked directly at me. "Especially with your children."

I didn't want to respond, because that's exactly what he wanted. So I just gave him a venomous glare that read: "bite me." Henry Wilcox was just an ignorant asshole.

Henry continued. "In the end, you can really only trust yourself. Tell me, Joan, you can't have always trusted your husband. Didn't you once make the mistake of using Agency resources to watch him, only to find out he wasn't cheating on you? I don't blame you, I'd do the same." He focused his glare on Arthur for just a moment before looking back at me.

I froze, trying to keep myself from doing something I would regret. I squeezed Arthur's hand harder than I had when I was giving birth to Serena_. Deep breaths, Joan_, I thought. Henry had that malicious grin back on his face, and Arthur stood up, pulling me with him.

"This meeting is over Henry. Enjoy your trial, I'm sure it will be quite a spectacle. You can try all you want, but you'll rot here. I promise you that."

Arthur and I left the room, with me still tightly gripping his hand. I was biting my lip to keep from screaming at Henry.

"She's loyal now, Arthur," Henry yelled behind us. "But I'm sure you haven't told her everything!"

Arthur rushed me down the hall and out of the prison, ignoring the guards who asked us to sign out at the Visitor's Station. In no less than five minutes, we were sitting in the car.

"That bastard!," Arthur muttered. He let lose a stream of swear words under his breath, then mumbled angrily," I should of pinned him against the wall and…"

I rubbed Arthur's arm and tried to be soothing. "I'm glad you didn't. We can't let him get to us, no matter now low he stoops." I clenched my teeth and tried taking some deep breaths. "But I hate him too."

Arthur smiled at me and turned the car on, pulling out of the prison parking lot. "Home or office?"

I groaned and closed my eyes. "Home, definitely."

When Arthur and I got home, I headed straight for our bedroom, slipped off my heels, and flopped down on the bed with a groan.

"Honey?," I asked, my voice muffled by a pillow. "Do you think you could…." I heard the clink of glasses and turned over. Arthur was walking through our bedroom door holding two glasses of scotch. He handed one to me and I took a big sip, then placed it on my nightstand. Arthur sat next to me and slipped off his shoes, then tossed his jacket on the floor. I rubbed my temples and he loosed his tie, flopping down next to me on his back.

"That was…..," he started. "Not ideal."

I laughed and took another sip of my Scotch. "It was worse than that."

Arthur groaned loudly and proceeded to drain his glass of scotch. I watched him and bit my lip. He lowered the empty glass from his lips and looked at me curiously.

"What?"

"I'm not doubting you, honey, but… what did Henry mean when he said he was sure you hadn't told me everything? Is there something I should know?"

"Oh, Joan," Arthur said, pulling me to his side and kissing my cheek. "He has no idea what he's talking about. He thinks he knows things about me, but he doesn't."

I wasn't completely persuaded. Arthur sensed this, and kissed my lips softly, pulling me on top of him. When we broke apart, I laid my head on his chest and let it move up and down with his breathing while he stroked my hair. After a couple minutes of silence, I spoke.

"What do we do now?"

Arthur positioned himself so he was propped up against the pillows, me still cuddled against his chest.

"I go through every file in my study and gather evidence, you do the same with the Agency's files, we send Annie deep-cover to get Liza's notes…."

An idea struck me like lighting and I sat up. "That's it! We need to seduce Liza Hearn into testifying against him."

Arthur looked indignant. "If this is some sort of test to see if I would willing exchange sex for favors…"

I laughed. "No, silly. I just mean we need to get her on our side. Which is going to be very hard…."

"Impossible," Arthur corrected me. "It will be impossible. We don't know what kind of deal they had, and there's a very good chance Liza won't want to expose herself."

"I'm gonna get her to do it," I said with determination, picking up my glass and taking another sip of scotch. Arthur smiled and pulled me towards him, taking the glass out of my hand and placing it on the bedside table. He kissed me softly and said, "I love you."

I smiled and kissed back. "I love you too, honey."

Three hours later, I was lying in bed in my bra and underwear (the form-fitting sheath dresses I wear to work are unsurprisingly uncomfortable to sleep in). Arthur was beside me in his suit pants and undershirt, sound asleep. We had talked about strategies to het Liza Hearn to help us for a while, but we were both exhausted and decided to take a nap. I glanced at the clock and realized it was almost five o'clock. I placed my hand on Arthur's shoulder and shook him gently.

"Arthur!"

He turned over and opened his eyes slowly, blinking sleepily. "What?"

"We have to pick up Serena, she's been at Annie's all day."

He yawned and then looked at the clock too. "Crap, you're right. Lets clean up a bit and go." He smiled coyly at me. "You may want to put on some clothes."

I giggled and swatted him with a pillow. He hit me with his pillow, and pretty soon we were whacking the crap out of each other with our pillows, rolling around on the bed and laughing. I flopped onto my back and held my pillow in front of my face as a mock shield. Arthur grabbed my foot and started to tickle it, causing my body to tense up and my hands to drop the pillow. It fell off the end of the bed, and Arthur brought his face down to mine for a passionate kiss. I kissed back and tangled my fingers in his hair, pulling him down to me. When we came up for air a few minutes later, I caught a glimpse at the clock out of the corner of my eye.

"5:30? Shit!"

Arthur sighed. "We gotta go, huh?"

I sat up and nodded, then gave him a quick peck on the lips before walking to the closet to look for something to wear. I pulled out a pair of soft jeans and a white scoop-neck t-shirt, then took my favorite blue cardigan sweater off the hanger. Arthur grabbed jeans and a sweater, then changed out of the suit pants he had fallen asleep in. He called Annie to let her know we were on our way while I brushed my hair and touched up my makeup. I slipped my feet into a pair of plain black Tory Burch flats and we were out the door.

When Arthur pulled up to Annie's sister's house, we decided to both go inside and get Serena. I well bad that we were picking her up so late, and I knew Arthur could tell by the way he took my hand and walked with me to the front door. He knocked with is free hand, and a few seconds later a young girl with a brunette bob and wearing a tutu skirt and tiara opened the door.

"Are you Serena's mommy and daddy?"

I smiled. "Yes. Are you Katia, or Chloe?"

"Chloe," she said, doing a little curtsy. "Follow me."

She beckoned us inside and then bounced down the hall. Arthur and I followed tentatively, not wanting to intrude into Danielle's home. We followed Chloe into the kitchen, where Serena, Annie, and a little girl who was probably Katia sat, coloring. Danielle was at the stove, stirring something in a pot with one hand and holding the phone with the other.

"Michael, that's the second time this week…"

"Mommy!," Serena exclaimed. She waved frantically, but did not get up. Instead, she held up a half-finished drawing of a fairy princess. "Look at my drawing!"

"Very pretty," I said with a grin, and Arthur nodded. "She's very stylish, baby," he said with a wink. Serena giggled and went back to coloring.

Annie looked up and smiled, immediately studying my face.

"Hey."

She got up and walked around the table to me and Arthur.

"How was it?"

"Ummm," I paused. I wasn't sure if this was the right place to discuss the day's events, and Arthur agreed. Arthur nodded his head towards the kids and cleared his throat. Annie understood and turned back to the table.

"Hey guys, the grown ups are gonna go talk for a second. Keep coloring, okay?"

"Okay," they chorused back, all completely consumed in their drawings. Annie smiled and led me and Arthur down the hall to a playroom. It was filled with colorful pillows, boxes of barbies, and a closet stuffed full of dress-up.

"How was the meeting?"

"Henry thought we didn't know about the trial," I said. "He wanted a confrontation."

Annie snorted, but then became serious again.

"He say anything about Jai?"

"He did, and he took a cheap shot at Joan," Arthur said angrily. "He was going on and on about how you can't trust family."

Annie gasped. "He didn't! Really?"

I nodded. "Yes, he did. He made an awful comment about how your children don't stay loyal to you. Oh, he just makes me skin crawl."

"He's a bastard," Arthur said. "The things he said to Joan were absolutely inexcusable."

"Oh, Joan," Annie said, pulling me into a hug. I dropped Arthur's hand and wrapped my arms around Annie, letting her hold me for a moment. I used to think having female friends, especially in the Agency, was a bad idea, but now I was glad I had stopped thinking that way. When we broke apart, Annie sighed.

"I worried about you guys all day."

"How was Serena?," Arthur asked.

Annie beamed. "She was perfect. Katia and Chloe just adore her. But back to Henry… what's the plan?"

"Plan?," I repeated. Annie grinned.

"Well, we're going to take him down, aren't we?"

I grinned back and Arthur nodded, with a satisfied, "I'm-gonna-get-this-son-of-a-bitch" look on his face.

"Oh, we're going to take him down," he said. "And it's going to hurt."

Arthur, Annie, and I decided that talking strategy in Annie's nieces' playroom was not the best idea, so we made a plan to regroup Monday morning in my office. In the meantime, Annie was going to try and collect information on Liza Hearn very covertly, and Arthur was going to go through any file he had on Henry. And me? I was spending Sunday playing with Serena to make up all the late nights that were surely ahead in advance.

The three of us re-entered the kitchen, where Danielle was now off the phone and looking at her daughter's artwork. When she saw us, she smiled brightly and held out her hand to Arthur.

"Nice to meet you. You're Joan's husband, right?"

He took her hand and shook it with a warm smile. "Arthur, nice to meet you. Thank you for helping Annie in taking such good care of our daughter all day."

Annie waved her hand. "Oh, it was nothing! Serena is such a sweetie!"

We grinned at each other, then Arthur turned to the kitchen table.

"Ready to go, baby?"

Serena pouted. "Noooo. I want to stay here forever!"

The entire room erupted into laughter and Serena just looked confused. I went over to the table and picked her up, making sure she had her stuff with her. I looked her in the eyes and whispered," Say thank you to Annie and Danielle."

"Thank you Annie and Danielle!"

The sisters grinned. "You're very welcome, Serena," Danielle said.

"I'll see you soon," Annie promised, coming over to us and giving Serena a kiss on the cheek. Serena giggled and I shifted her to one hip so I could give Annie a hug.

"Thanks," I whispered. "We really needed you today."

"No problem."

Arthur and I said our goodbyes and made our way back to our car. I buckled Serena into her car seat and sat next to her in the backseat. I just needed to be with her. After a long, emotionally draining day, nothing cured me like holding my baby girl and telling her I loved her. And I did just that, leaning over and kissing her.

"I love you, baby."

Arthur started the car and we were headed home. Serena squeezed my hand and kissed it.

"I love you too, mommy."


	7. Chapter 7

Sorry, guys! I realize it's been more than 2 weeks since I updated. School has been hectic, and on top of that, the less feedback I get from you guys, the longer it takes me formulate ideas. Please, please, PLEASE review, even if all you say is "Good." I hope you like the chapter, and I hope I can get another chapter out by next week!

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><p>It was Sunday morning, and as badly as I wanted to strategize, I needed some quality time with my baby. Serena still wanted a tree house, and while I was no HGTV-level handyman, I certainly could decipher instructions from a box. Arthur was likely to be buried in his study all day, reading files on Henry Wilcox dating back to before Arthur even met him. He had promised to set aside some time to play with me and Serena, which was good.<p>

Arthur and I lucked out, and Serena slept until almost 9 am. She must have been a little exhausted from her day of fun with Annie and her family. I was still eternally grateful to Annie and Auggie for being a stable support system to Serena these last few years, we had really grown to be a family. Speaking of, what was up with Auggie lately? I hadn't talked to him since Thursday night at the Agency. He probably didn't even know about the meeting with Henry at the prison.

As I got dressed to spend the day in extreme mommy-mode, I sent Annie a quick text:

_Have you talked to Auggie lately? I haven't seen him since Thurs, and I'm afraid we've left him totally in the dark_.

I listened to the running water from Arthur's shower while I decided which shirt to wear. Red v-neck, or black with thin white stripes? I was just standing there in my bra, trying to decide on a shirt, when my phone rang. I picked it up and hit accept, thinking it was Annie, and instead a picture of Auggie came onto the screen.

"Hello?"

"Joan?," Auggie's head turned and I realized I was in video chat mode.

"Shit!"

"What?," he asked. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah," I said, grabbing the red v-neck and pulling it over my head. "The Skype video call noise sounds a lot like my regular ringtone. I was just caught a little off-guard."

"Oh." Auggie paused. "Did I catch you at an inconvenient time?"

"Not really, unless you count being shirtless as inconvenient," I laughed, bringing my phone out into hall and into Arthur's office. I sat down in a comfy leather armchair. "Since you can't see me, it's not exactly a problem."

Auggie chuckled, then asked awkwardly, "Are you…. Are you good now?"

I laughed. "Yes. What's up? You usually don't use video chat."

He grimaced. "Yeah, well, I wanted to show you this." He turned his head and pointed a finger to his neck, which had a large purpley-blue bruise on it. I gasped.

"Auggie! What happened?"

"I tripped," he said with a frown. "It was a stupid mistake. I just wanted to tell you that I won't be in this afternoon. I'm still a bit light-headed, so Annie was going to take me to get my head and my bruise checked out."

"Oh, no," I fretted, shaking my head. "Don't worry about it. I won't be in today anyway. Family time."

He grinned and then his face changed. "So if I'm out, and Annie's with me, and you and Arthur are at home, who's in charge? Jai?," he asked darkly.

"I don't know. But I'm trying to just forget about work and not care for a change. The last few days have been kind of intense, and I just need to spend time with Serena and let go."

"What happened?" Now it was Auggie's turn to be overly protective and concerned.

I sighed and took a deep breath. Explaining this would not be easy. "I'm so sorry I didn't tell you, there was just so much going on."

"Joan, you're scaring me. Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," I assured him. "Physically, anyway. Henry called Arthur to the prison for a meeting yesterday morning. We dropped Serena with Annie and her nieces, and I accompanied Arthur. Henry wanted to break the trial news to us, and was more than pissed when he found out we already knew. He immediately guessed Jai, then went on a rant about how you can't trust family and your children don't remain loyal to you."

Auggie looked angry. "Tell me he didn't directly talk about Serena."

"A little. He also told me I don't know everything about my husband. He knew that I was monitoring Arthur using Agency resources a few years ago, Auggie. It was weird. Like Liza wasn't his only informant. Something just doesn't fit."

"Huh… well, I can look around tomorrow when I get in," Auggie said.

"That's fine," I said. "Don't worry about it today, Auggie. Just get that bump checked out, and _relax_."

"Mommmmy!" Serena's voice came from down the hall. "Where are you?"

"Sorry," I groaned to Auggie, who laughed, as I set my phone on the arm of the chair. "One second."

I got up and went to the doorway of Arthur's office. I stuck my head out and yelled, "In daddy's office, baby."

Almost immediately, I saw a little blonde head appear at the end of the hallway and run in my direction. Serena had a look of defeat on her face and was wearing adorable pink footie pajamas with a pattern of hearts. She jumped at me the second she was within a few feet of me. I caught her awkwardly and held her in my arms. I sighed.

"What's up?"

"I can't find my Aladdin dvd!"

"I know where it is!," Auggie shouted suddenly. I went over to the chair and picked up my phone, Serena following curiously.

"How do you know where it is?"

"Hi Uncle Auggie!," Serena waved excitedly at the screen, even though she knew Auggie couldn't see her. I put her down so she could stand next to my hands and see the phone.

"Hi Serena," Auggie grinned and waved. Don't ask me how he knew, he just did. Then he addressed me: "Last time I was over there, she said she didn't want to watch it anymore and didn't want anyone else to watch it, so she hid it in the leather ottoman under the blankets. You know which one I'm talking about, right?"

I knew what he was talking about. We had a leather ottoman that doubled as storage when you took the top off. We stored blankets in there, and when Serena was two it was her favorite hiding place.

I sighed and stroked her hair. "Serena, baby, what are we going to do with you?"

She stared at the screen of my iphone and watched Auggie fidget, transfixed. I bent down to her level.

"Say thank you to Auggie."

"Thank you, Uncle Auggie," she giggled, breaking out of trance. She ran out of the room and down the stairs, yelling, "Mommmmy! C'mon!"

I sighed and rubbed my temples.

"Thanks, Auggie. Have Annie call me when you're done at the hospital, okay?"

"Sure thing," he said with an adorable smile. Before he hung up, he laughed," Have a fun day with Serena."

After I hung up with Auggie, I went downstairs and put Aladdin on for Serena, telling her we would play when the movie was over, mommy and daddy had to talk about adult stuff first. She seemed perfectly content, so I made sure she had a cup of orange juice and went back upstairs to our bedroom.

Arthur was sitting on the bed in a black sweater and jeans, reading a file. When he saw me enter, he smiled and held his arm out for to snuggle at his side, which I did.

"It sounded like a zoo out there, whats going on?"

I laughed. "Auggie called, and just a few minutes later Serena came running up, saying she misplaced a dvd, and Auggie just magically happened to know where it was. Oh, he was on video chat mode, so it's a really good thing for you that he's blind," I joked, kissing Arthur's cheek. He looked puzzled.

"Why?"

"Well, he wanted to show me this bump on his head- ," I started, but Arthur shook his head.

"No, why is it good he's blind?"

"Oh." I bit my lip and blushed severely. "I was kind of…. not wearing a shirt when he called."

Arthur started to laugh, the embarrassed look on my face making him laugh harder.

"I didn't know it was video chat!," I protested, watching his face turn red. I whacked his shoulder. "It's not funny, Arthur!"

Arthur feigned wiping tears from his eyes. "Oh, honey, it's _hilarious_."

I punched his shoulder playfully. "Okay, okay."

Arthur smiled and kissed my hair, trying to keep from laughing. "So, Auggie has a bump on his head? What happened?"

"Well, it's more of a bruise. On his neck. He said he tripped, and so I gave him the day off, as well as Annie, so she could take him to the hospital."

"I hope he's okay. Which reminds me, I still want to talk to him about that OCA job."

"He seemed very interested last time we talked," I assured Arthur. "I think he's really ready now."

"Good," Arthur said, leaning back against the pillows and pulling me with him. He stroked my hair and I let my body move up and down with his breathing.

"So, how did he know where Serena's dvd was?"

"He said he remembered the last time when he was over and she said she was done with it."

Arthur chuckled. He was always in awe of Serena's little movie phases. She would only watch one movie, such as Alice in Wonderland or The Little Mermaid, for weeks on end, and then suddenly, she was over it. She put it away and didn't want to watch it for a while.

"But Serena's been done with Aladdin for almost two months."

"Yeah well, Auggie's observant," I smiled. "I think it's sweet how much he adores her."

Arthur squeezed my hand. "He really does. We won't have to worry about boyfriends in a few years, because Auggie will protect that girl with his life."

I snuggled closer against Arthur's chest. "He's wonderful. Annie too. Who could have predicted almost 4 years ago that this would be our life?"

Arthur chuckled. "No one. We're very lucky."

A thought that had been floating around my head for the last month came to the surface. I had to ask Arthur. "Hey…. Arthur?"

"Yeah, babe?," he murmured, pressing a kiss to the top of my head.

"What would you think about….. about having another child?"

There was a long, slightly awkward pause. I rushed to fill the silence with an explanation, but I wasn't doing a very good job.

"I mean, 4 years ago, I found out I was pregnant, which I never thought would happen. We agreed we didn't really think there was a place for children in our lives. But it…it _changed _us. I think for the better. And…. I don't know. It's just a thought."

I sat up and turned to face Arthur. I could tell by the look on his face that he was very deep in thought. His blue eyes stared at the floor for a minute or two, then stared straight at me.

"What do you want to do?"

I was a little unprepared for that one. Arthur always had an opinion, and he always voiced it. "I..I don't know," I stammered. Arthur took my hand.

"Joan, I love you," he said seriously, not breaking eye contact. "I will support whatever decision you make, because I know it will be the right one. And I know you're going to overanalyze this."

"It's just…I don't want to slow down at work," I whispered, sinking down onto the pillows next to Arthur. He looked down at me from where he sat on the bed, just a few inches away. He laid his other hand on my stomach and gently rubbed it in circular motions, like he did when I was pregnant. I looked up at him in sad confusion. I didn't know what I wanted. I knew that if Serena were to have a sibling, I wouldn't want it to be much younger than her. Maddy and I were close, but far apart. About 6 and a half years. I missed out on her life, didn't get to be the big sister I wanted to be. I wanted to help teach her how to drive, meet her boyfriends, and help her pick out her first prom dress. I wanted to make sure she didn't get into drugs or any other trouble. But I was off to college before she even started high school. I didn't want Serena to have that same experience. And soon enough, Serena would come to realize that many of friends' mothers were having children, and by the time she was in kindergarten, I was sure most of her friends would not be only children.

But I couldn't do it all. I could barely do what I was doing now. Gathering intel on national security and keeping my operatives safe all day, then trying to get home in time to eat dinner with Serena and get her in bed. There was no good "stopping point" at work, not before 10 pm. I was constantly having Annie, Auggie, and sometimes Reva finish up my work for me so I could be home in time. And that would only get trickier if I had two kids at home. And then there was Arthur, as his even more difficult job. The nights he got home in time for dinner were often miracles, and as hard as he tried to make up for it on the weekends, I knew he felt as terrible as I did. The last thing we wanted was for a handful of babysitters to raise our daughter.

"What's on your mind?," Arthur asked gently. I looked at him and I could see the love in his eyes. He would have my back, no matter what I said.

"Serena. We struggle every day to get home in time, to give her all the attention she deserves, to build healthy relationships with her. We make it work, but barely." I took a deep breath. "And I don't think we could double that effort. As much as I love being a mother, it wouldn't be fair to that child to compete with our jobs and Serena. We don't have enough hours in the day. And I don't have enough energy."

Arthur nodded and pulled me up and into his arms, rocking me back and forth. I let a few tears out, wrapping my arms around his neck.

"You don't have to do it all," he whispered to me, hugging me close. "I think you're perfect already. You don't have to add more into your life."

"But I don't want to disappoint anyone," I mumbled, sniffling a little. I was trying very hard not to burst into tears.

Arthur drew back slightly and looked at me. "Honey, there is no way you could ever disappoint anyone. You're already too good for me. Who else matters?"

"Serena. I just want her to have the perfect childhood. I want her to be happy."

"She has you. Everything she needs for the perfect life is right there in you. You lover her more than anything in this world, and you have been protecting her since you found out you were pregnant. She has the best mom in the world, and because of that, I believe she will always be happy."

I bit my lip. "Oh, Arthur."

He kissed my lips softly. "Promise you'll never change."

I kissed back and then rested my head on his shoulder.

"I promise."


	8. Chapter 8

Sorry this chapter is a bit sort and waaay late, I had a horrible case of writer's block. Still kind of do. Any feedback/reviews are greatly appreciated! I hope you guys enjoy this chapter :) I didn't want to forget about all the other characters!

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><p>My Sunday with Serena was coming to an end. We'd started to assemble the tree house, watched Aladdin twice, and made Funfetti cupcakes. Even Serena was exhausted. I tucked her into bed, my face stretched into the biggest smile. It had literally been a perfect day.<p>

Serena giggled. "What, mommy?"

I kissed her forehead and then nuzzled her nose.

"I love you so much, baby."

Her eyelashes fluttered as she closed her eyes, puckering her lips. I put my cheek on them and she made a loud smacking noise. I laughed.

"I love you too, mommy."

"Not as much as I love you, baby."

She opened her bright blue eyes and gave me her "suspicious" face.

"Oh yeah?"

"I love you both the most," Arthur said. I turned around and saw him standing in the doorway of Serena's bedroom. My smile stretched even wider.

"Daddy!"

"Hey, sweetie pie," he said, sitting next to me on the ground beside her bed.

"You and mommy are wrong," she informed as he kissed both her cheeks. He looked amused.

"Oh?"

"I love you both the most! I win!"

We laughed. Serena yawned and her eyelashes fluttered again. She closed her eyes and snuggled deeper into her covers. Arthur and I stood up and whispered one last goodnight to her before turning on her nightlight and turning off her bedroom light. We closed the door halfway and headed down to our bedroom at the other end of the hallway.

"She really is something," Arthur chuckled, slipping into sweatpants and an old white t-shirt. I laughed and nodded.

"She really is."

"Did you have the relaxing day you needed?," Arthur asked, handing me a red tank top and a pair of pajama pants with thin blue and red stripes.

"Yes." I yawned and slipped my clothes off, then just sat on the corner of the bed for a while in my underwear. Arthur sat down next to me and kissed my hair.

"As tempting as you look right now, we have _a lot_ to do tomorrow."

I playfully swatted his shoulder and changed into my pajamas.

"Yes, we do."

The next morning, I was in my office by 9 am. I had a lot to do regarding Henry's case, plus everything else that was going on at the Agency. I was just about to call Jai in when he appeared in my doorway. He had an odd look on his face, but I couldn't focus on that right now. I had a billion other things to do.

"Jai, good, I was just about to call you," I smiled, taking the last sip of my coffee. I moved a few folders on my desk and found the piece of paper I was looking for. I handed it to Jai.

"I need you to trail Liza Hearn for the day. Arthur and I believe she is a key factor in keeping your father's trial from having the ending he wants. We need whatever information we can get. Whatever gets her on our side. Think you can find something?"

"I'm leaving," Jai said abruptly, setting the piece of paper down on the corner of my desk. I looked at him.

"What do you mean?"

"I'm going back to London. For another 5 years at least, maybe more." His dark eyes were everywhere but making contact with mine.

"Hmm," I nodded. "Okay. Well, best of luck to you there," I said, sticking my hand out. He shook it and his eyes glinted with the flickers of a smile.

"Thank you, Joan."

I watched him leave, puzzled. Did his father's case have that much of an impact on him? It just didn't make any sense for him to leave now. I picked up my office phone and called Arthur.

"Hello?"

"Arthur, it's me. Jai Wilcox just told me he's _leaving_."

"Leaving?"

"Yeah, he's doing another 5-year rotation in London. I wouldn't be surprised if he was in England before the week's end."

"Interesting. I'll try to dig deeper. In the meantime, will you send Auggie down to my office?"

"Sure. What should I do about Liza Hearn?"

He thought for a moment. "Send Annie to trail her. If we decide it's worth it, you will meet with her and seduce her into helping us."

I smirked and took on a sultry tone of voice. "You like that idea, huh?"

Arthur lowered his voice. "Say that any sexier and I won't be able to concentrate for the rest of the day."

I laughed. "Mission accomplished."

I could tell Arthur was grinning. "Seriously," he said. "I was thinking you and I could use some alone time…. Preferably tonight."

"Sounds good. I'll get Annie on babysitting duty. And Auggie will be in your office in 5."

"Perfect. I love you, sweetheart."

"I love you too."

I hung up with Arthur and walked into the main bullpen of the DPD. As I expected, Annie was in Auggie's little tech office. When I entered, Annie was giggling. She stopped the second she saw me and I winked.

"Auggie, Arthur wants to see you in his office," I said, placing my hand on his forearm. He held onto me for support as he stood up and then clicked on his laser cane.

"Fun. I'll see you ladies later," he said, leaving the office. Annie looked at me and we both started to laugh. She started to walk to the door too.

"I should get back to work…."

I shook my head. "I've got an assignment for you, come with me."

I led Annie back to my office and made sure the door was closed before handing her the piece of paper I originally had offered to Jai.

"I need you to trail Liza Hearn for the day."

Annie read the paper and nodded. "Okay."

"And when you're done," I paused, figuring out how to phrase what I wanted. "Could you maybe pick Serena up?"

Annie looked at me in confusion. I was a bit sheepish.

"Arthur and I kind of really need a night to ourselves. I was hoping you could take her for the night, and one of us will pick her up tomorrow morning and take her to school."

Annie raised her eyebrows and smiled. "Okay. I'll call the sitter. What's her name again?"

"Chrissy." I smiled gratefully. "Thank you so much, Annie. I'll call Serena when she gets home from school and let her know what's going on. You know the drill."

"No problem, Joan. You know I love her," Annie grinned. She waved the paper around. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have a reporter to trail."

I smiled and watched Annie leave. Now that that was taken care of, I had some digging to do. Time to immerse myself in the last 20 years of Agency records. Henry Wilcox was going down.

**Arthur's POV***

Joan called to let me know Auggie was on his way to my office, so I was waiting when he arrived.

"Auggie," I said, putting a hand on his shoulder and guiding him into my office. "Good to see you."

I paused at my awkward choice of words. Auggie just smiled warmly and chuckled.

"How are you, Arthur?"

"Good."

There was a moment of silence and then I said," Auggie, I'm just going to cut to the chase. I want you to reconsider taking the OCA job. You'd be great at it."

Auggie had an "I knew it" smile on his face. He nodded.

"Thanks, Arthur. I have been thinking about it."

I smiled. "Good. I don't want to rush you, you have a few weeks before the current OCA retires. Just think about it."

Auggie nodded. "I will. And thank you for asking me again."

"Of course," I said. "You're a damn good agent Auggie. You deserve it."

Auggie stuck his hand out and I shook it. He clicked on his laser cane and made his way out of my office.

"Have a good day, Arthur."

"You too," I called out. I sat back down at my desk and checked my cell phone. One text message from Joan:

_Date night is on. Think we can get out of here before 8?_


	9. Chapter 9

I am so sorry (again) that this has taken so long! The last part was very hard for to write and figure out, but now that I have, everything else is planned out. I just have 2 or 3 more chapters left, and hopefully the story will be wrapped up before season 2 continues (Nov. 1st!).

Please review and enjoy! :)

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><p>Arthur and I managed to slip out of the Agency just before eight, walking quickly to our car with our arms linked and laughing like we were teenagers breaking the rules. It almost felt rebellious, leaving work so early. But we deserved it.<p>

When we got home, I changed into a comfy black jersey wrap dress and Arthur slipped into jeans and a t-shirt. We had decided that instead of going out to a fancy restaurant, which we did a lot anyway, we would have dinner at home. Like the good old days, when we had just moved in together and would cook dinner together almost every night, singing along to our favorite bands. R.E.M, The Goo Goo Dolls, and Pearl Jam had filled the kitchen along with Arthur's smooth, jazz-singer voice and my okay-ish one. It had been domestic and comfortable, but at the same time fun and exciting.

I was standing in the kitchen, looking around in the pantry for a box of spaghetti when Arthur came up behind me and wrapped his arms around my waist, kissing my neck.

"Hey, sweetie," I said, turning around and wrapping my arms around his neck. We kissed again and it was slow and loving. When we broke apart, Arthur smiled at me with that warm look of pure love that made me blush. I was happier than I remembered was possible.

"This was a good idea," Arthur said, locating the box of spaghetti and a pot. I grinned and filled the pot with water.

"Yeah, just like old times."

"That's right!," Arthur exclaimed, grabbing his iPhone out of his pocket and scrolling through it excitedly. I laughed and put the pot on the stove to boil the water. A few seconds later, "Better Man" by Pearl Jam was playing on the iPod speakers on the kitchen counter. Arthur grinned at me and I placed a quick kiss on his lips as I walked past him to the cabinet. I grabbed a can of tomato sauce and started to follow the instructions on the side of the can while Arthur stirred the cooking spaghetti, singing along with Eddie Vedder.

"_She lies and says she's in love with him, can't find a better man/ She dreams in color, she dreams in red, can't find a better man..."_

I laughed and started to hum along. He rarely did, but I loved it when Arthur sang. 20 minutes later, out dinner was on the table and Arthur was pouring a Scotch for himself and a glass of white wine for me.

We sat across from each other at the kitchen table and talked about everything we could think of besides Henry Wilcox and his case. Tonight was about us and having some much needed time to relax, not work.

"So, how do you think Serena is doing with Annie?," I asked Arthur casually. I couldn't help but worry about her, even when she was with someone I trusted. Call it major maternal tendencies. Arthur sensed this and took my hand, massaging my fingers softly.

"I think she's having a blast, and will probably be calling in about half an hour to say goodnight," Arthur said, finishing off his Scotch. I nodded.

"Sounds about right."

"Who would have pegged you as such a mommy?," Arthur teased, winking at me. "Certainly not me."

"Hey!," I said, swatting his shoulder, playfully, not gently. His eyes flashed playfully and he got up from the table.

"Oh, you're gonna get it."

I shrieked and jumped up from the table, running through the hallway and up the stairs. Arthur chased after me, both us of laughing like children the entire time. He finally caught up with me at the door to our bedroom, grabbing me around the waist and picked me up, tossing me on the bed. I giggled as he joined me, pushing my dress up and kissing my stomach to the point where it tickled.

"Not bad for an old man," I said, panting slightly from the workout. "You caught me pretty fast."

Arthur grinned. He was panting too. "I would've caught you faster, but I gave you a head start."

"Surrrre." I rolled my eyes and laughed. Arthur pulled me close to him and kissed me, deeply, tangling his finger in my hair. I kissed back, moaning happily.

"This is so nice," Arthur whispered, taking my hand and intertwining his finger with mine. "Why didn't we do this more often before Serena was born?"

"I don't know," I said, snuggling deeper into his body. "But we did have our share of fun."

"We did," Arthur agreed.

I didn't know about him, but I was thinking about the time when our power went out, about 2 years after we were married. We had lit candles and eaten Chinese takeout in the dark at our coffee table, smiling at each other lovingly over our plates of chicken chow mein. After we ate, Arthur put on some Frank Sinatra and we slow-danced in the middle of the living room for the longest time, barely speaking, just enjoying the feel of our bodies moving together in a slow waltz.

Or the reconciliation following Arthur's impressive defense of me and Annie during her op in London just a few months after she started working in the DPD. We had been going through a rough patch, and Arthur had been sleeping on the couch for close to 3 weeks. I lifted the ban and we had some pretty amazing makeup sex. I was pretty sure that's how Serena came about.

I was so glad we had her. Sometimes I wondered how our marriage would have been these past 4 years without her. There had been time when I had been afraid that we would have lost our way. And life would be much harder without Arthur in it. Sometimes it was difficult with him in it too, but that was only some times. Everything was worth it for him.

Arthur kissed my hair and my neck, sending shivers down my spine. I responded with a little moan and then I started to pull his shirt off. I kept getting distracted by the kisses he was giving my face and neck, so he stopped and pulled it off for me, tossing it on the floor.

We were just starting to sink into it when Arthur's cell phone rang. He went to pull it out of his pocket, but my leg wrapped around his waist, blocking it. I laughed as he gently rolled me off to the side and answered the phone.

"Hi baby! Call to say goodnight?"

I could hear Serena's excited voice through the phone. Arthur put it on speaker and we listened to her explain everything she and Annie had done this afternoon in detail.

"That sounds fun, sweetie," I said, smiling at Arthur. He smiled gave me a look that said _'See? You had nothing to worry about.'_

"Mommy, can I play with Annie tomorrow too?"

"No, honey. You have school."

I heard a giggle. "No I don't! Tomorrow is Saturday, silly!"

Arthur laughed. "Yeah, silly," he said, poking my shoulder. To Serena, he said," Have fun with Annie, honey. Call us when you want to come home."

"Okay! I love you daddy! And you too, mommy! Goodnight!"

Annie came on the phone. "Hey."

"Hey, Annie," I said. "Call us when she gets to be too much."

"Never," Annie said sweetly. "You guys doing anything fun tomorrow?"

"Maybe…," I said slowly. I didn't want Annie to worry about me any more than she already did. "We might be making significant progress on Henry's case."

"Joan, be careful," Annie said. I agreed to, and she hung up.

Arthur looked at me curiously.

"What was that about?"

I shrugged it off. "Annie is just really worried that Henry could try to hurt one of us, in an attempt to save his ass. I told her not to paranoid about it, but she won't rest."

He grinned. "Stubborn as always."

I laughed and kissed him. "Yes…, but tonight is not about work. Where were we?"

Arthur pulled my dress over my head and then dragged me down on top of him, kissing me passionately.

"I think I can remember," he whispered.

The next morning, Arthur and I decided today was the day we go for Liza Hearn. I was wearing capri yoga pants, a sports bra, sneakers and an old tank top. The plan was for me to intersect with Liza in the park. She had been told to meet "a potential source" there, through the same channel that Arthur arranged to meet her a few years ago, when Annie was stuck in Zurich and we didn't know Liza's source yet. However, Liza didn't know her source was . The first thing she would ask me is what information I had for her.

We were drinking coffee when Arthur brought it up.

"You'll have to tell her you're CIA," Arthur said.

I looked at him in horror.

"You don't have to give her your name," he reassured me. "Just tell her you know me. You don't even have to say you're my wife. In fact, don't tell her that just yet."

"Ok," I conceded, nodding. "Do you want me to play rough with her?"

Arthur spat out the coffee he was drinking. His face turned red and he started to cough.

"Whatever you see fit," he stammered. I whacked him on the head with a newspaper that was sitting on a nearby counter.

"My God, Arthur! I was asking if you wanted me to go easy on her or play hardball. You know, interrogate vs. soft approach? Focus!"

"Sorry," Arthur said, with an apologetic yet playful look in his eyes. I narrowed my eyes at him in mock anger for a few seconds, then smiled. I pulled my hair up into a ponytail. It would be nice to get some exercise before I saw Liza. Running always helped me think, it made me feel like I could breathe.

I got up from the kitchen table and put my coffee mug in the sink. I stretched while Arthur watched me with a grin.

"Okay, I'm off," I said, walking over to the table and giving Arthur a kiss.

"You'll do great," he whispered, kissing me again. I nodded.

"I know."

"You have your phone?," He asked as I walked to the front door. I held my iPhone up.

"Good. I will text you if I hear from Serena and Annie. Be safe!"

"I will, honey. See you later," I smiled, closing the door behind me. I sprang down our front steps, taking off at a jog. It felt so good to just run.

I had to admit, I was a little anxious. I had enjoyed field work back when I was an operative, but now I felt out of practice. All I needed to do was convince Liza that when Henry went down, she would too.

After about 40 minutes of running, I came to the park. We had gotten lucky that the park closest to Liza's office wasn't anywhere we ever took Serena to play, it was too far from our neighborhood. I ran a lot less of a risk of seeing anyone I knew here.

I spotted Liza on a bench, dressed in a black pantsuit and a clean white blouse. I took a deep breath. _Here we go._

"Liza Hearn?," I asked, not loud enough for anyone but the two of us to hear, as I approached her. She looked up at me and nodded, a slight smile on her face. She gestured to the bench.

I sat down next to her and began carefully, "Liza, I'm here on behalf of Arthur Campbell."

She looked me up and down.

"Are you C.I.A?," she asked in a hushed tone. I nodded.

She sighed. "Is this about the leaks a few years ago? Because I haven't spoken to my source in a very long time."

"We know. Henry Wilcox has been in jail for the last four years. Now, this whole ordeal was never publicized, but Henry has a court date set. He wants to appeal and get out early. And we can't have that. If he succeeds, we will be forced to bring the entire scandal out of the dark, nearly four years later."

Liza was speechless. She stared at me.

"What are you saying?"

"I'm saying that if Henry goes down, he will most surely try and bring you down with him. And you have a promising career, Liza. I'd hate to see you lose it."

"Is that a threat?" She narrowed her eyes.

"No," I said calmly. "It is an offer. Help us keep Henry in jail, where he belongs. Clear your own name, in the eyes of the C.I.A. It will definitely cause us to cooperate more in the future."

Liza considered it. "And how do I contact you?"

I handed her a slip of paper with a number on it. Arthur and Auggie had created a phone line for her to contact us that was untraceable. Auggie would answer if she ever called.

I got up from the bench and shook her hand.

"Nice to meet you, Liza."

She nodded. "Likewise."

I turned and started to run towards home. My veins were on fire and my hands were shaking slightly. Adrenaline came over me and I started to sprint. I'd done it!

I came to stop for a a moment and texted Arthur to tell him I was on my way home. We were gonna get Henry this time. For good.


	10. Chapter 10

6 months after I met with Liza Hearn, it was finally time for the trial. We had held Henry off as long as possible, but we had all the evidence we could get and nowhere else to look.

The last 6 months hadn't just been late nights and clandestine meetings, however. Serena turned four, and we threw a big party, with both her friends and Annie and Auggie. Madison hadn't been able to fly out, but Serena had fun talking to her on the phone, which she was getting better at. I remember that night, after all her friends had gone home, Maddy had called and asked to talk to Serena. Serena sat in Auggie's lap on the couch, talking excitedly into the phone. She told Maddy about all her friends and the fun games they played. She probably talked her ear off for close to an hour. And Madison let her, loving every second of it. When they were done talking, I had a quick conversation with my sister, and the first thing she said was, "Ohmygod, you have the most precious child alive. I want one."

I had laughed and walked into the next room, so Serena and Auggie couldn't hear me.

"You know what's even cuter? She's been sitting in Auggie's lap the whole time. He's just been stroking her hair and smiling at all the cute things she says."

"You have such a perfect little makeshift family," Madison had laughed. But she was right. We are pretty blessed. I say it a lot, maybe too much, but it's true.

There had been some interesting developments in Annie's life in the last 6 months, too. She dated a guy for 3 months that she barely told me anything about. She said she didn't want to work so hard to hide things and make up excuses, so he didn't last too long. And then she moved out of her sister's house after telling Danielle what she really did for work. Since then Annie had become a regular fixture at our house. For someone who likes to travel alone often and preferred not to get attached to people, I think she found her apartment a little too lonely. It worked out fine for us, though. Serena practically had a live-in playmate, which gave me and Arthur more time to work on the case.

I wanted to help give Annie on what to do about her sister, but I was hardly one to talk. Madison had no idea what I did every day. I couldn't very well give Annie advice when I had never been brave enough to do what she did. It had consequences, though. Annie had barely spoken to Danielle in the last 2 months. I saw the pain it caused her, the distractions she kept herself busy with.

Unfortunately, I'd been busy too. The trial was in just a few days, and there nothing left for us to do. I hadn't gone into work all week, letting Auggie spend the week in charge. It was one of his last weeks in the DPD, too. At the end of the month, he would be the new OCA. Overt, and as he liked to joke, "the feel-good hit of the summer."

While Auggie took over for the week, I spent all my time with my baby. Well, she wasn't really a baby anymore. Every moment I spent with Serena kept me calm, while every moment Arthur spent in the office, burying himself in work, kept him levelheaded enough. He was never good at being calm or sitting still.

Tonight, I tucked Serena in later than normal. We had been watching Tangled, and instead of stopping it and having her finish in the morning like I usually do, I let her stay up till almost 9. I just didn't want to get off the couch. She had been snuggled up in my lap, and it was therapeutic. I just wanted to hold my little girl as close to me as possible, to remind me not to give up on my hopes for how the trial would end up. I had become kind of sappy in that way.

Once Serena was in bed, I made my way upstairs and found Arthur in his study, his desk covered in folders and loose sheets of paper. I stifled a small laugh before walking up to him and sitting in his lap. He smiled and looked at me with tired eyes. The poor man needed some sleep. And reassurance.

I kissed his lips softly. "You know, I've been thinking about what Henry said when we visited him months ago…," I started. Arthur shook his head.

"No, honey, don't even think about him. Let me do the worrying, " he said, rubbing my arm.

"I was just going to say that he was wrong. There hasn't been a moment when I haven't trusted you," I finished. Arthur grinned and let out a big laugh.

"Really? What about when you used Agency resources to track my calls and account? Or had Annie spy on me in Berlin?"

I blushed. "Those were times when I was skeptical and scared I was losing you. Even if I didn't fully trust you, a little part of me always said, 'He loves you, you have nothing to worry about.'"

Arthur smiled again and stroked my hair.

"Glad to hear it."

We were both silent for a few minutes, lost in thought. Arthur was frowning and staring at a painting on the wall, and I could tell he was going over the worst-case scenario. I put my hand on his chin and tilted it back towards me, so he was looking into my eyes.

"Honey, it's going to be okay."

He nodded. "I know. I'm just worried about you and Serena. If Henry walks, his vendetta against me will have multiplied, and he'll be able to do whatever he wants. And we've seen what he can do."

"You have _nothing_ to worry about," I promised him, hugging him. He kissed my cheek and wrapped his arms around me.

"I hope you're right," he whispered.

3 days later, it was D-Day. Serena was with her babysitter at home, and Arthur, Annie, Auggie and I were at the Agency. Due to the still-successful efforts made by the CIA to keep Henry's case under wraps (it was very bad publicity to have a once main player in our organization be the source of a major leak), the public had no idea that Henry Wilcox was on trial. Which meant everything needed to happen behind closed doors.

I smoothed the skirt of my black sleeveless high-necked dress. Annie fiddled with her watch. Auggie kept clicking his laser cane on and off, and Arthur hadn't stopped pacing. We all sat in Arthur's office, waiting for a verdict. I had begged Arthur not to sit in on the trial, and apparently made a good case, because he had agreed. I just felt that if he was sitting there, it make everything worse. Henry would just shoot him smug looks and push him to his breaking point. How those two men once got along is a mystery to me.

We had the option to watch the trial, as it was being recorded. It was playing on a large tv on Arthur's wall but we had muted it and none of us were watching the screen. If it didn't turn out well, even watching a video of it would be painful.

I went over to Arthur desk and opened the top drawer, taking out the bottle of Ibuprofen I had put there this morning. I knew I would need it. Taking a large sip of water from a the water bottle I had also put in the drawer, I swallowed 4 of the pills. Arthur gave me a warning look, like he used to when I took any amount of Ibuprofen at all during my pregnancy. I just gave him a neutral stare back, daring him to say something. From the other side of the room, Annie sighed noisily. We were all on edge.

Finally, Auggie broke the silence.

"This is crazy," he said, somewhat gently. "It's been what, 2 hours? 3?"

"3 hours and 12 minutes," Annie said quietly, looking at her watch. I threw my head back and groaned, then sat down in a chair at Arthur's conference table. Arthur stopped pacing and came to sit next to me. He lightly touched a finger to my wedding ring and I took his hand and squeezed it.

"Wait…," Annie said, jumping up from her spot on the ground near the tv. She'd been the only one stealing occasional glances at it. "I think it's over."

Arthur and I turned towards the tv and sure enough, Henry Wilcox was standing up and being led out of the room by his lawyer and two other agents. The way his head was tilted, it was hard to see his face and the expression on it. Arthur made a break for the door of his office, walking towards it quickly and pulling it open. I was torn between following him and waiting here. I chose to follow and Annie was right behind me, holding Auggie's hand and bringing him with us. We walked in a line like that down the hallways and to the elevator; Arthur, with me about 4 yards behind, and Annie and Auggie just a couple feet behind me. I jogged a few feet, my heels clacking noisily on the marble floor, to catch the same elevator as Arthur.

Annie signaled to me that she and Auggie would get on the next elevator as the doors closed. Arthur and I rode the elevator in silence, but just before it hit the 2nd floor, where Henry was likely to be just exiting the conference room used for the trial, I turned to Arthur and asked him, "Are you ready for this?"

He turned to me and nodded, then took my hand. The doors opened and we stepped off the elevator together. The floor was silent, but the sound of footsteps coming from a corridor on our right suggested we would soon get our answer.

And just seconds later, Henry rounded the corner, flanked by his lawyer and a few agents playing security-guard-for-the-day. When Henry saw us, he narrowed his eyes like a venomous snake.

Arthur chuckled. "How'd the trial go?"

I heard the ping of the elevator and turned my head around long enough to see Annie and Auggie step onto the floor. They took a few steps closer but were smart enough to maintain their distance.

Henry tried to keep a semi-straight face, but he couldn't totally erase his hatred for Arthur from his hardened features. "Congratulations, Arthur. You have fun? I hope you're ready for your life to get very miserable."

Arthur's face went cold. "How many years did you get, huh? Fifteen or twenty?"

"Twenty five," Henry spat at him. A small smile crept onto Arthur's face.

"And no parole, right? Good, all that research and digging was worth it."

Henry snarled. "You've been working this case the whole time?"

Arthur nodded and took a few steps toward Henry, dropping my hand. I was getting a bad feeling from these two.

"Of course. You're being brought down and I don't get to help take you apart? No chance in hell."

Henry smiled his smug smile. "My sources told me you weren't allowed to touch it due to certain..," he glanced at me, then back to Arthur. "… circumstances."

Arthur took another step towards Henry.

"What are you implying?"

Henry laughed. "Oh, you still haven't told her? This is too good." He looked at me again. "Joan, has your husband not told you yet? I was right after all, you can't trust family."

I glared at him, and his smug smile just grew. "Then again, I don't think your daughter will have what it takes for the Agency when the time comes. She seems too…. Nice. The perfect little mommy's girl." He said "nice" like it was a dirty word, and my blood turned cold. What did he know about Serena?

I could see the look of pure hate on Arthur's face, but I did not expect what happened next. Arthur lunged for Henry and Henry fought back, punching him in the jaw. Annie gasped as the two men wrestled each other to the floor. Kicking and pulling and throwing jabs wherever they could. I looked at the agents who had been restraining Henry but they just watched.

"Aren't you going to do something?," I yelled at them. Once of them, a guy who barely looked old enough to have graduated college, just shrugged. Appalling. They were just going to watch Henry and Arthur beat the crap out of each other?

"That's it," I said, kicking my heels off towards Annie. I motioned to Henry's lawyer to grab his client, and he nodded. We went in at the same time, me pulling Arthur back and the lawyer doing the same with Henry. The second I had Arthur up, I turned around and went for Henry, using a Krav Maga tactic I had learned a long time ago to elbow him in the throat. He groaned and crumpled to the ground.

"That's for everything you've put my family through, you son of a bitch," I seethed. Henry just grumbled something inaudible from the ground, clutching his throat. I turned back around and walked over to where Arthur, Annie, and Auggie stood. Annie's jaw was open as wide as it could go.

"Joan…"

I shook my head and exhaled. "Let's get out of here," I said, picking my shoes up with one hand and placing the other on Arthur's upper arm. He smiled at me and we walked to the elevator.

"Wait," Auggie called after us. "You wait until I'm blind to punch a guy?"

I laughed and looked back at him. "Auggie, you've seen me do Krav Maga."

"Yeah, in training," he said with a grin. "But not like _that_."

"How do you know it was all that exciting?"

"Well, first, I heard it. And second, Annie almost cut off circulation in my hand."

I laughed again. "Goodnight, Auggie." I looked at Annie, who mouthed, _'Call me.'_ I nodded. "Goodnight, Annie."

When Arthur and I were in the car, him in the passenger seat, he turned to me. "That was some punch," he said with a small grin. I looked at his face. He had cuts and scrapes all over it (Henry had still been wearing handcuffs on one wrist) and his lip was very bloody. I just shook my head.

"Not too bad yourself. What you did was very stupid, Arthur. What you did was noble, but… it was still a bad idea. We are not done talking about this. But for now, I'm going to cut you some slack, because you look pretty beat up."

"You should see the other guy," Arthur said quietly, rubbing his jaw. I pursed my lips and tried not to break out laughing. Instead, I looked at the clock on the car's dashboard. Crap, it was almost 11 pm. I guess the plus side was that Serena wouldn't see Arthur like this.

When we got home, I insisted on going inside and paying the babysitter so she would leave before Arthur came into the house. She thought we were busy lawyers, and most lawyers didn't come home looking like they had been in a nasty bar fight. Once she was gone, I went back to the garage and helped Arthur up the stairs quietly, not wanting to wake Serena. He protested, saying he didn't need help, but I knew that even though he was in fairly good shape, he couldn't take a couple blows to the ribs without feeling some serious pain after.

I sat him down on our bed and helped him undo his tie and take off his shoes. I tossed him an old gray t-shirt and a pair of plaid pajama pants, while I put on an old Penn State shirt and some pink sweatpants. All of the little cuts on his face were still bleeding slightly, so I wet a washcloth in the bathroom sink and brought back into the bedroom. We sat on the bed together and I pressed the cloth to his face.

"Joan, I want to get something off my chest."

"If you feel you need to puke, honey, go ahead, I brought the trash can to your side of the bed. I love you, and I still think you are a strong, able man, but you went through a pretty rough beating," I teased, dabbing at his face. He smiled.

"No, about what Henry said. About family."

I sighed and put the washcloth down, scooting a little closer to Arthur. I clasped my hands and let them sit in my lap.

"What?"

"He was talking about Jai. Just a few hours after your meeting with Liza, he called me and said he could convince Liza to help us. He knew she was working with Henry for a while before Henry was exposed, but didn't want to say anything. She called him in London right after you met with her, and he urged her to help with the case."

"Thank you for telling me," I whispered, my eyes wandering to a picture on my nightstand of me and Arthur with Serena in the hospital.

"Whats wrong?," Arthur asked. He frowned.

"The way Henry mentioned Serena so casually, like… like he knew her. I just don't know how. I mean, what if he's watching her, or something? Watching us?"

"Ahh," Arthur said. He pulled me into his arms. "Leave that to me. I'll have an answer for you by tomorrow afternoon."

"Okay," I sighed. We climbed under the covers and I snuggled up against Arthur's side, being mindful of any injuries he might have. He chuckled softly and put his arm around my shoulder, his hand resting on my shoulder.

"I love you," he whispered as I closed my eyes.

"Me too," I whispered back.

xxxxxxxxxx

AN: Doc Manager was being weird, hence my note being at the end. So sorry this took like, what, 3 weeks? All I can really say is never take chemistry in high school. Total time suck, very confusing when you're not a big math person. Anyway, Uberlin gave me an awesome burst of inspiration, so expect the last 2 chapters to be up soon! Thank you to all of the readers who have stuck with me throughout this story, and all my annoyingly spaced-out updates. Enjoy and review! ;)


	11. Chapter 11

I so don't even care how AU this has become. I love it so much :) Enjoy the second-to-last chapter! I think this is one of my favorites. Not that I'm biased, or anything ;)

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><p>I was not surprised at how fast word traveled in the Agency. Pretty much everyone I passed in between the parking lot and my office seemed to know about Arthur and Henry's fistfight, as well as the Krav Maga I had implemented on Henry. I just ignored all of it, getting my usual double latte at the Starbucks counter and heading to the DPD. The moment I hung up my coat, Annie was in my office.<p>

"Hey, Annie."

"Hey. How are you?"

She sat down on the couch and I joined her, taking large sips of my coffee. I was definitely not awake. Arthur and I had both taken the entire weekend off, and instead of making up for lost sleep we made up for lost family time. After 3 days of board games, Disney movies, popcorn, and hide-and-go-seek, coming back to work was almost a relief.

"Fine," I said. "Arthur's still a bit banged up, though. He told Serena that he tripped, and since she's four and has no idea how to tell which bruise patterns come from being hit in the face, we're good." Annie gave a small laugh, but still looked a bit unconvinced.

"And I'm truly fine," I promised her. "Now that this whole Henry Wilcox business is over, I can focus on my life. Arthur and I are making several changes to cut back on work hours, including bringing Reva back in to help Auggie and you. She'll mostly be doing desk work, but she may go into the field with you every once and a while."

Annie sighed and pouted like my daughter. "Okay."

"C'mon, you and Reva spent quite a lot of time together in Belarus. You were kidnapped and had no choice, but still…"

Annie smiled. "You're right."

"Yes, I am," I said, standing up. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have some business to attend to."

Annie got up to leave. "Of course," she said with a glint in her eye. She was in the doorway when she turned and looked back at me.

"Joan?"

"Yes, Annie?"

"I would love to cook dinner for you guys sometime soon. You know, just a small family meal, nothing fancy. I was thinking Auggie could come too."

I grinned. "That sounds perfect. How about tonight, actually?"

She beamed. "Yes! I'll come by at 6:30. Do you think Serena would like breakfast for dinner?"

I laughed. "Pancakes, scrambled eggs, and bacon? I think she would go crazy!"

Annie laughed with me. "Alright, sounds good. I'll tell Auggie. See you later!"

"Bye!"

After Annie left, I checked my email and signed off on a few reports from the huge stack on my desk. I knew there would be a lot to catch up on, but I was hoping it wouldn't take too long. I had an email from Auggie with detailed reports of the events of each day for the last week, as well as a few of his personal opinions about ops, all of which were very good ideas. He really was going to be a great OCA.

"Knock, knock." I heard my office door open and I looked up too see Arthur in my doorway with a smile on his face. He closed the door behind him and sat on my couch. I got up and joined him, leaning against his side and sighing.

"I have so much catch-up work to do," I pouted. He chuckled.

"That's what happens when you're a powerful, high-ranking officer in the CIA."

I laughed and relaxed my body into his, even though it was a bit inappropriate for work. But it was only 10 am, and I was already exhausted. And the blinds on my glass office walls were still up anyway. So I didn't really give a shit.

"So, honey, I came here to tell you something."

"Uh huh," I mumbled, closing my eyes and feeling the subtle movements of Arthur's chest as he breathed. "What's up?"

"Remember when you asked me how Henry was talking about Serena with such familiarity?"

My eyes shot open and I practically jumped up from the couch. I sat up straight and turned to face Arthur, my eyes grow wider and more eager.

"And?"

Arthur paused for a second, trying not to laugh at my reaction. "And he's not stalking her, or anything like that. He asked Jai about a billion questions about her a year ago, when Jai visited him to say he was leaving for London. I guess they were on okay terms, despite Henry being where he was, and they would talk once a month or so."

"Did you talk to Jai?"

"Yes," Arthur chuckled. "He called me, actually. Heard about Henry and I kicking the crap out of each other and was amused. He says hello, by the way, and hopes both you and Serena are doing well."

I smiled and nodded my head. "You know," I said thoughtfully, settling back into my previous position against Arthur's chest. "Jai isn't all bad. I wonder if Henry ever realized that. His son may be a shifty character, and you may not always be able to trust him, but still. Visiting Henry once a month for almost 3 years? That says a lot."

"It does," Arthur agreed, placing a kiss on the top of my head. "When I'm in prison in twenty years, will you see if you can get Serena to visit me a little more often though? I'd hate to only see her once every four weeks."

"Arthur!" I elbowed him, but not too hard.

"Sorry," Arthur teased, his eye twinkling. "But I don't know if I can make any promises if you're the one who's locked up. What if she gets sympathetic and tries to bail you out, or something? I don't want to damage my reputation any further."

My jaw dropped and I laughed. "Arthur!"

"What? You get arrested for treason, and you'll be slapped with divorce papers before your first full week there. I can't have a crazy, possibly dangerous wife."

I got up from the couch and pretended to be pissed, but I could tell the smirk on my face gave me away. I stared at him. "And what if I get arrested for trying to kill you?"

"Ahhh," Arthur said, leaning forward and clasping his hands. "Well if you succeed, Serena won't want to visit you anyway. And if you don't, I'll manipulate her so she doesn't want to visit you." He shrugged. "Easy."

I just shook my head and laughed. Arthur grinned, his cobalt blue eyes still twinkling. He got up from the couch and put his hands around my waist, his face just inches from mine. I wrapped my arms around his neck.

"I love you," he whispered. I placed a soft, tender kiss on his lips.

"I love you too."

After a moment of just standing there, our foreheads leaned against each other, Arthur sighed.

"Can you believe I actually have to go back to my office and work?"

I shook my head and dropped my arms. "Really?," I said with a hint of sweet, loving sarcasm. "Damn. I was just going to rip my dress off."

Arthur took a few steps towards the door, his face a mixture of longing and laughter.

"Shit. I better get going before I lose all ability to be productive for the rest of the day."

I laughed and nodded in agreement. "Good idea."

His hand was on the door handle when I remembered my earlier conversation with Annie.

"Oh, honey?"

He turned around.

"Annie is making us dinner tonight. Well, breakfast for dinner."

He smiled. "That sounds fun. Just the four of us?"

"Auggie too. She said she'd start cooking at 6:30. I was thinking maybe I would just catch a ride home with her instead of you, so you can work a little later."

"Sounds good."

"But you have to be home by 7:30, _no later_," I said firmly. "Promise?"

He darted across my office to give me a quick kiss on the lips. "Yes."

I giggled a little bit and slapped his ass on an impulse. His eyes flashed mischievously.

"Now, go get back to work, ."

"Yes, ma'am!," he said, pausing in my doorway once more to salute me. I laughed and shook my head at his Navy Boy antics and then sat down at my desk. I gave the large stack of reports and files the evil eye before taking a sip of my double latter and getting down to work. Just a few more hours.

At exactly 6:05, Annie was in my doorway with her purse slung over her shoulder and her coat already on. The second I saw her, I grinned. Finally.

"Hey," I said. "Just give me a second to wrap a few things up."

Annie nodded and sat down on the couch. I powered off my laptop and stuck it in my bag, then started arranged papers, locking some in my desk.

"Auggie coming with us?"

"Yep, he's just doing the same thing you are, finishing up."

I got up from my desk and put on my favorite black coat, then tied a navy blue, swirly patterned scarf around my neck. Annie followed me out of my office and we went to get Auggie. We were just a few feet from his office when he turned his head toward the doorway.

"Annie and Joan, good evening."

We laughed. Annie and I had walked in silence and practically tip-toed in our heels, but Auggie sensed us anyway. It was useless to try and trick him, but we always had fun doing it. And it made us feel like little kids, which was always amusing.

He slung his messenger-style bag over his shoulder. "You girls ready to go?"

I linked my arm in his and led him out of the DPD with us. Annie walked on my other side, and the three of us chatted about the last time we had breakfast for dinner, Auggie and I both praising Annie for such a cute and fun idea. When we got in the car, Annie drove and we played the new Florence and The Machine album, just enjoying the beautiful music and the company of the each other.

When we got to the house, Serena must have been waiting, because the front door opened and she ran out just as the three of us were emerging from the car.

"Mommy! Uncle Auggie! Annnieee!"

She jumped on Annie and Annie caught her, pulling Serena into her arms and carrying her to the door. I took Auggie's arm and led him to the front door, where Serena's babysitter stood, and apologetic smile on her face.

"She couldn't wait to see you," Chrissy said. I smiled and thanked her, then handed her the check Arthur had written earlier this morning. She put on her coat and wished us a good night, saying she'd pick Serena up from preschool tomorrow.

By the time Auggie and I got inside and I had hung up our coats, Serena was already showing Annie all the drawings she had done during the day and the pretty dress she had put her current favorite Barbie in.

Annie looked up from the living room floor, where she sat with Serena in her lap.

"Hey Joan, is it okay if Serena helps me C-O-O-K?"

I smiled and nodded. "Of course."

Annie grinned and got up, holding Serena in her arms. Serena looked very confused. For a four-year-old, she was very perceptive.

"What?"

"You get to help me make dinner, baby!," Annie said enthusiastically, carrying her into the kitchen. Serena squealed in excitement.

"YAY! What are we making, Chef Annie?"

"Breakfast! Scrambled eggs, and pancakes, and bacon…."

Annie and Serena started taking out ingredients. Auggie started to move towards the kitchen, but I stopped him, reaching out and placing my hand on his shoulder.

"Want to talk for a second?," I whispered. He nodded and I took his hand.

"C'mon, lets go upstairs."

We went into mine and Arthur's bedroom and I sat Auggie on the bed while I searched for more comfy clothes to change into. Auggie must have picked up on the sound of hangers being pushed around, because he said, "Whoa there, Joan. Do you really want us to talk while you're getting undressed?"

I snorted. "Auggie, we have been friends for too long for anything to be awkward. Besides, this will take 2 minutes and you can't see a thing."

Auggie put his hand over his eyes adorably and grinned. "Now I can't. So, what did you want to talk about?"

I unzipped my dress and let it slide to the floor, stepping out of it. While I searched for a t-shirt, I said, "You."

"Okay… that's a little vague. Care to elaborate?"

I pulled on a pair of yoga pants and a white henley. Then I sat down next to Auggie on the bed. I reached over and squeezed his hand.

"Yes. I want to make sure you're ready. You start as the OCA in 2 weeks."

He smiled. "Yes, I am. I think it's time for me to start a new part of my life. I'm no use in the field, and instead of fighting it, I want to be useful, no matter what division or office."

"That's very mature," I told him. "I'm proud of you, Auggie."

He took my hand that still rested on his and squeezed it.

"I'm proud of _you_, Joan. Five years ago, you were a completely different person. You have gone through a hell of time balancing Serena with work, and that whole Henry scandal, and you have done it with tremendous grace. As always."

I smiled and used my other hand to wipe away the few tears forming in the corners of my eyes.

"Damn it, Auggie," I whispered. "Why you do have to be so sweet?"

He laughed. "It's part of my whole 'sensitive guy' facade."

I laughed with him, then pressed a kiss to his temple. "No, you're just a really great guy."'

We sat in silence for a few minutes until we hard Arthur come in downstairs. At Serena's shriek of, "Dadddddddy!" rang through the house, Auggie and I burst into laughter. I stood up and took his hand.

"You good?," I asked as we walked to the stairs. He grinned and nodded.

"Yeah. You?"

I wiped a few more tears from the corners of my eyes, but they just came back up.

"Yup," I lied, leading him down the stairs. We ran into Arthur on the way down, and he smiled when he saw us.

"Hey, honey," he said, pulling my face to his for a soft kiss.

"Hey," I whispered. Arthur reached out and tucked a strand of hair behind my ear, then turned and continued up the stairs.

"Just gonna change my shirt!," he yelled as he disappeared into our bedroom. I realized Auggie was still standing there, a smile on his face.

"Thanks for leaving me standing here awkwardly."

"Sorry," I laughed. He shook his head.

"Just teasing you, it's fine."

We reached the bottom of the stairs and he pulled his laser cane out of his pocket and switched it on.

"I got it from here."

I squeezed his hand.

"Okay. Be there in a second."

Just seconds after Auggie rounded the corner into the living room, Arthur appeared at the bottom of the stairs. I smiled and pulled him towards me for another kiss, this one longer. He stroked my cheek, and felt the few tears that had dried on them.

"You okay?," he asked with concern. I nodded and looped my arm around his waist, squeezing myself against his side.

"Yeah. I'm just happy."

He smiled and draped his arm over my shoulders, walking with me to the kitchen.

"Me too."

We joined Annie, Auggie, and Serena at the kitchen table. Annie and Serena had cooked a breakfast feast: there was fruit salad, pancakes, bacon, sausage, and scrambled eggs. We all filled out plates with food and dug in, letting Serena tell us stories from all of her favorite movies and then adventures she and her babysitter had in the treehouse during the day. I smiled at my family, gathered around the table like a family should be. It was warm and comfortable and perfect. The perfect family.


	12. 5 Years Later

_5 years later_

"Hey mommy!"

I looked up from the kitchen table and saw Serena coming through the kitchen doorway. I stood up and held my arms out, and she happily slipped off her backpack and threw herself into them. I hugged her tightly and kissed her hair. When we broke apart, I sat back down in my chair and pulled Serena into my lap. I brushed some of her blonde, wavy hair out her bright blue eyes and kissed her nose.

"Did you thank Katie's mother for the ride home?"

"Yesss," Serena sighed, feigning exasperation. A sly grin came onto her face.

"Catch any bad guys today?"

I laughed and shook my head. "Nope. How was school? You conquer your spelling test?"

"That stuff is sooo easy, mom! I don't understand why we have to read these short chapter books, daddy and I already read the first two Harry Potter books!," Serena complained. "And if he wasn't so busy all the time, we could start the third!" She stared at the floor. She always avoided eye contact when she didn't want you to get in her head. If she couldn't see you, you couldn't read her or what she was feeling. I recognized it because it was what I used to do.

"Baby, you know he has a lot on his hands right now," I said, cupping her chin and pulling it up so she could look me in the eyes. "Hey, look at me. He's got bad guys to catch too, and he promised to be home early tonight. He even said he'd bring a pizza."

Her eyes brightened and she grinned. "Ok, I forgive him."

I laughed and kissed her cheek. "Wow, you forgive easy."

She shrugged. "He knows my weak spots. Hey, can we visit Kyle and Piper today?"

"Honey, Kyle and Piper are barely a year old. All they do is sleep and cry. Besides, we need to give Aunt Annie and Uncle Auggie some time to rest."

"Aww," Serena pouted. "But I wanna read to them!"

"Maybe over the weekend, okay baby?"

"Ok." Serena slid off my lap and smoothed her lavender sweater. "Hey mommy, will you come up to the tree house with me?"

"Sure, sweetie," I said, standing up, "Let me change first?"

"Ok, I'll meet you," Serena said. She took off for the backyard. I watched her go with a smile. My baby was growing up. She waved from the base of the tree, and I waved back, then headed up the stairs to change my clothes.

I had spent the morning at the DPD, reading applications from Camp Perry with Arthur. Since Auggie, Annie, and I had all started to severely cut down our hours, Arthur and I had decided to bring in an agent to do the same job as Auggie so he had some help, and two more field agents. No one could have Annie's intuition or language skills, but we had read some pretty impressive stuff.

When I reached the bedroom, I pulled my wine-colored blouse off over my head and unzipped my tight gray pencil skirt. A pair of jeans and a caramel-colored sweater looked pretty comfy, so I changed into them and headed back down the stairs.

I stopped and looked at the family pictures hanging on the walls next to the staircase. 10 years ago, the only photographs hanging in the house were one or two pictures from mine and Arthur's wedding, and a few pictures of us, separately, on our various travels. Now, the wall was almost cluttered, in a nice way, with pictures. Arthur, Serena, and I at her kindergarten graduation, Serena as a flower girl in Annie and Auggie's wedding, Serena helping Auggie open Christmas presents, Arthur and I smiling and laughing, our arms around each other…. That was my favorite, because Serena took it. She had just learned how to use a camera, and she and Annie were running around the house, practicing taking pictures. Arthur and I were sitting on the back patio, his arm around my shoulders. Serena had jumped in front of us and yelled, "SAY CHEESE!" and I had wrapped my arms around Arthur's neck and we grinned as cheesily as we could.

I got downstairs and was about to head out into the backyard when I heard the front door open. Arthur came through it, carrying two pizza boxes. He smiled when he saw me, and I was about to say something to him when someone else ran past him and practically collided with my shins.

"Hey momma! Guess what! We got pepperoni!"

I bent down and hugged my almost five-year-old son. I ruffled James's chocolate brown hair and smiled.

"Your favorite? Wow, lucky kid."

"Yeah! I asked daddy 'please' for it!"

I looked over James's head and smiled at Arthur. He smiled back and put the pizza boxes on the kitchen table, moving my laptop. Arthur and I had found out I was pregnant with James shortly after Henry's trial, and we had been very worried. However, just as with Serena, we came around quickly and became very excited to be parents again. Arthur had been pleased when we had a son, and Serena was ecstatic to have a sibling. Now that she was older, she sometimes got annoyed, but she was a pretty awesome big sister, and we were proud of her. And I was proud of me and Arthur. All those years ago, we thought we would make disastrous parents. Now, having two kids turned out to be the best thing that have ever happened to us.

I knelt down on the ground and patted my back.

"Hop on," I said to James. Piggyback rides were his favorite thing, he was obsessed. If he had to go downstairs to eat a meal, he would beg Arthur to give him a piggyback ride. If he was in a bad mood, I just had to take him around the downstairs once and he was happy. It was really cute.

James grinned from ear to ear and jumped on my back. I slowly stood up, groaning a tiny bit as I stood.

"Oof. Been hitting the cookie jar a little hard, huh Jamie?," I teased, bringing us into the kitchen. He laughed.

"No, silly! Its 'cause I got Hulk arms!" He slid off my back and proceeded to show me his "guns" before sitting down at his favorite chair. "Where's Rena?"

Rena was his nickname for Serena. She had loved when he had first used it when he was two, and never let anyone else call her it. It was only for her baby brother.

"Right here," Serena said. I looked up. Arthur had gone to the tree house to get Serena. I smiled.

"Hey baby, long time no see, " I joked. "Want some pizza? We got one regular cheese and one pepperoni."

She sat down next to James and nodded. "Cheese, please."

Arthur started to serve the pizza while James sang, "Cheeeeese, pleeeeease," over and over. Serena rolled her eyes, but then started to sing along. Then, to top it all off, Arthur joined in with his deep, smooth jazz voice.

I just shook my head at my silly little family.

"You guys are all nuts," I declared, taking a bite of my pizza. They all smiled back at me, as if to say, 'Yeah, but you're stuck with us.'

"Mommy?," Serena asked, swallowing a mouthful of cheese. "Can we watch Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows part 2 after dinner?"

I glanced at Arthur and he gave me a nod. I smiled.

"Of course, honey."

"Yay!," Serena and James cheered. They _loved _Harry Potter.

After dinner, Serena and James put their pajamas on and prepared for the movie while Arthur and I did the dishes. He hummed Frank Sinatra and washed the dishes, then handed them to me to dry. When we finished, I pulled him towards me for a passionate, fiery kiss. As we broke apart, he whispered, "I love you."

"I love you too," I said, biting my lip. "But I'm also _insanely_ in love with two other people. Is that okay with you?"

He lifted and eyebrow and held me a little tighter. "Oh? And may I ask who these people are?" His eyes sparkled with amusement.

"Mommy! Daddy! Harry Potter time!"

I nodded my head towards the living room, where Serena and James sat excitedly on the couch, bouncing up and down in their pjs. Arthur laughed and took my hand, leading me to the couch.

"Yayyy!"

And for the next two hours, the four of us sat there and watched Harry defeat all the forces of evil in his world, all for love and his friends. I was seeing a few parallels to my own life, in a silly way. And then Arthur leaned over and whispered in my ear, "Are you picturing Henry as Voldemort? Cause I am."

I just threw my head back and laughed. "No," I whispered back. "I'm thinking about how brave Harry is, how much he loves his friends and that he would do anything to protect them."

"Hmmm…. Sounds like someone I know."

I smiled. Everything was actually perfect. Two beautiful kids, a loving husband, and still being able to do my job? 10 years ago, I refused to believe anything could be this good. That one person, especially me, could have it all.

But I wasn't the same person I used to be. Sure, I was softer, but I was also braver. Stronger. And it was all thanks to that little pregnancy test. I glanced over at my daughter, her eyes wide as Harry hurtled Voldemort and himself off a cliff. She had done all of this. Brought me closer to Annie and Auggie, kept me from letting my career control my life. Mended all of the cracks in mine and Arthur's relationship before it fell apart. She had come just in time, a little miracle.

And I was thankful every day.

* * *

><p>Thank you to everyone who has read these two stories :) Thanks for all the reviews, name ideas, and helpful suggestions. Thanks to Jacque and Nicole for beta-ing, you guys rock.<p>

In regards to the story, I was hesitant to add James, but I just thought, 'Hey, what the hell." He is pretty cute, after all ;) I probably won't add a third story, so please review and let me know what you loved about this story and Breathe!

I love you guys all for loving Arthur and Joan. Thanks again! xoxo


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